Power could slip away for the first time from the ANC following the recent developments in the Mangaung metro after a group known as the Mangaung Seven put their hands up as independent candidates ahead of next week’s by-elections in the area.
Their decision to contest the by-elections as independent candidates has raised eyebrows and sparked curiosity in the Free State.
The seven councillors, who have for several weeks kept the municipality on its toes, fighting off allegations of corruption, say they have information linking the regional secretary to being a ghost worker at the municipality.
Four of the seven candidates, Mpho Mokoakoa, Lelala Makoa, Chabedi Rampai and Lehlohonolo Moqolo, have already been approved by the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) and are registered as independent candidates.
This week, the Mangaung Seven, or M7, as they have become popularly known, called on ANC Mangaung regional secretary Sabelo Pitso, to formally answer if he was a ghost worker at the Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality between December 2021 and June 2022.
Sabelo Pitso received R119 669.97 from the municipality on March 30, 2022, according to documents obtained by The Star.
“This can be obtained in the report signed by then acting payroll manager, Tshwaro Ledibane, HOD: corporate services, David Nkaiseng, and CFO, Sabata Mofokeng, on March 10, 2022.
“The proof is at hand. Corruption has been the order of the day at the municipality. That’s why we must vote the ANC out of Mangaung,” they said.
Many in the province believe that this unprecedented move is set to bring a new energy into local politics.
It has been reported that the decision to contest the by-elections as independent candidates carries various implications and will in due time showcase the resilience and determination of these councillors who continue their work in spite of their expulsion from the ANC.