Barely 24 hours after being elected as mayor of the Ditsobotla Local Municipality, the Patriotic Alliance’s (PA) Itumeleng Elizabeth Lethoko has reportedly resigned from the post.
Lethoko was elected as mayor on Monday during a council sitting sat in Mahikeng, an hour’s drive from Lichtenburg-headquartered Ditsobotla.
Nomination
Her nomination was supported by the African National Congress (ANC) and Forum for Service Delivery
The ANC received 16 seats following the by-elections on 14 December, while opposition parties had 23 combined.
Monday’s sitting came after postponements and delays in swearing in councillors after the by-elections.
Sitting
The sitting was chaired by provincial Cogta official James Mashigo after the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) objected to Ditsobotla administrator Radinaledi Mosiane presiding over meetings.
The red berets said his overseeing council business was illegal because his term of office ended on 16 December.
Controversy
The PA‘s Lethoko is not new to the mayoral post or controversy at the ailing council.
As former member of the ANC Lethoko was reportedly convicted of fraud and in breach of the Municipal Finance Management Act in 2015 for attempting to influence the finance chief to use municipal funds for a birthday party, disguised as a Women’s Day celebratory event.
The same court also found that Lethoko and her co-accused tried to influence the same official to pay R200 000 for services that amounted to irregular and unauthorised expenditure, according to the Mail & Guardian.
The incidents happened while she was ANC mayor in 2006.
Additonal reporting by Getrude Makhafola
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