EFF leader Julius Malema’s five-year prison sentence for a 2018 incident at an EFF rally in Mdantsane has been described by legal experts as excessive, with some warning that it could be increased to as much as 10 years if a higher court finds the magistrate was “too lenient.”
Some experts say that...
Picture: Facebook FS people deserve better – High Court
By: JN Reporter
In a scathing judgment, the Bloemfontein High Court slammed the Ngwathe Local Municipality for failing to provide basic services to the people and ordered the dissolution of the council.In his opening statement when delivering his judgment, Judge Johannes Daffue referred to the Deputy Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA), Namane Dickson Masemola, who concluded his speech at the Free State Local Government Summit in December by saying, “The people of the Free State deserve better.” Daffue stressed, among other things, that the municipality and its council are dysfunctional and that provincial government departments, and particularly the MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA), have failed to intervene in the affairs of the municipality in accordance with the Constitution. He also pointed out that he deems this a “suitable case where the court should play the role of a watchdog.” In terms of Judge Daffue’s ruling, the Premier of the Free State, the province’s Executive Council, and the other relevant respondents are directed to implement a recovery plan to restore service delivery and ensure that the municipality meets its financial obligations. They must also dissolve the Ngwathe Municipal Council and appoint an administrator until a new municipal council can be elected. The executive must further approve a temporary budget, revenue-raising measures, or any other measures that will give effect to the recovery plan. However, in his response to the judgment, provincial spokesperson for Cogta, Zimasa Mbewu, said the department is “currently studying this judgment further and will issue a full statement in due course relating to the way forward.”Multiple attempts to get comment from the municipality also drew blanks, as Mayor Victoria de Beer-Mthombeni—through her communication office—said they are studying the judgement in detail. However, speaking on NewsRoom Africa, Mthombeni defended her administration and insisted that progress had been made in turning the municipality around
