The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) political party has advertently taken a bold step to let its dubious councillor, Olebogeng Leserwane, leave the position as proportional representative councillor at Ga-Segonyana local municipality.
The hard decision was taken by the provincial and the national decision-taking body after a thorough scrutiny of the councillor’s compromised attitude in the political space.
The turbulent relations started on June 17, 2018 when the councillor was ousted from the regional executive through the ballot box. Fuming with rage, the outspoken councillor went to the social media and vented out his disgust by unleashing insubordinate statements to his superiors. Since that regional meeting, the so-called obstinate councillor and party officials only see one another on the surface.
In a council meeting held at Ga-Segonyana local municipality on September 20, 2018, the EFF members aimed for the jugular to ensure that the wayward councillor was off the councillors’ register. This did not materialise though, because rarely do legality and the law of the jungle agree.
Whether he smelt a rat or was tipped off by his faithful, the councillor did not attend the council meeting, only to resurface later during the day when this burning issue was struck off the agenda, because the independent election commission had not received a letter from the party expelling the elusive councillor.
The ANC speaker, councillor Meyers Pote, took the matter with simplicity saying the councillor could only be removed and replaced after he had received a confirmation letter from IEC officials, in this case, froom Mr Peter Kgobe the regional supervisor. The process tamed the EFF members and councillors who thought the ANC-led council was playing chess as suspicions were and are still rampant that the elusive councillor is already in bed with the ANC and, as a result, spilling all the beans about the youthful party’s survival shenanigans.
Face to face with the Kathu Gazette scribe, the vociferous councillor said that he is taking the legal course to contest his expulsion, as the constitutional space allows him to do so.
“The EFF leadership wrote to the speaker, sent the letter through the sheriff so that my post could be declared vacant and be replaced with immediate effect. Council must receive a communiqué first, then the speaker can process the swearing-in of another councillor, if need be. Secondly, I am strongly contesting my suspension and I am within the time-frames of the legal contestation,” councillor Olebogeng reverberated.
