Motsepe Takes Charge of STLM

By Lucas Shongwe

Newly elected Steve Tshwete Executive Mayor Cllr Diphale Motsepe said he has a few loose ends to tie on service delivery related issues in the municipality.

Mayor Motsepe was sworn in on Monday replacing the then Mayor Bagudi “Tsietsi” Tolo who died on 2 February due to Covid-19 related complications.

He told Timeless News he hopes to improve on certain areas where service delivery was not complete. “We are going to complete outstanding Council resolutions to avoid bringing any resolution before previous ones are being implemented in order to avoid rescinding decisions of the community,” he said.

Motsepe, previously MMC for health, community and religious services, came in at a time where the municipality is confronted with the Covid-19 pandemic and with elections a couple of months away.

“We will have observe all the Covid-19 protocols in place,” he said. “Mask and social distancing are in place, you can’t wish them away as they have become the norms of the day.”

“Those are Constitutional issues of which if you play away from, you would be preventing the community from adhering to the protocols.”

Motsepe also said that he is going to follow guidelines from National Treasury, as announced by Minister Tito Mboweni in his recent budget speech, to attract new investment. “The Finance Minister has given us a directive in his speech at Parliament. I am going to follow that information as he had shared with us. We as local authority, we will only look at creating  convenient environment for investment to come in,” he said.

He added, “like he has already said that the budget he has cast, there is that buy-in option that will have investors. I mean they can’t invest nationally, they invest in local authority of which the municipality will have to take ends and see that the environment is convenient for investors”.

The Democratic  Alliance  (DA) said they are looking forward to a have good working relationship with Motsepe. “We are hoping that we will have a good relationship with the new Mayor and we trust that he will put the community first when it comes to service delivery especially on infrustructure because there are many challenges to attend to going forward,” said DA Caucass leader Johann Dyson.

However the Economic Freedom Fighters  (EFF) have expressed no sense of hope on Motsepe. “We are hoping nothing because we are political party on our own,” EFF Whip Enos Sebesho said.

“The only that we are sure we will do, is that we will hold them accountable.”