Dying diggers of Namaqualand need saving
| by Andrew Louw – DA Northern Cape Provincial Leader |
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| Date: 27 June 2019 |
| Release: Immediate |
| The Democratic Alliance (DA) in the Northern Cape is calling on Premier Zamani Saul to urgently ensure that Sol Plaatje municipality complies with court orders relating to a string of labour disputes that the municipality has lost.The court orders are the effect of the practise of unfair dismissals to make way for cadre deployment, that particularly took root under former Mayor Mangaliso Matika and Head of Corporate Services, Ruth Sebolecwe.In one of the most recent case, newly elected DA Sol Plaatje councillor, Herbert Japhta, who was worked out of the municipality in 2016 after being too vocal about corruption relating to senior officials, won his case for reinstatement in the Labour Court. Japhta was previously made redundant by Matika and Sebolecwe, who deployed a friend to Japhta’s position, ultimately resulting in two officials “double-parking” in the same position. They in turn used this as grounds to remove Japhta.Japhta eventually won his case and the Labour Court has ordered Sol Plaatje to pay him out for the three years in which he did not receive his salary. He was further instructed, in a letter signed by Acting Municipal Manager, Boy Dhluwayo, to report for duty yesterday. However, on reporting for duty, Japhta was met with resistance.Japhta has already lost his home and his pride, and is currently in the process of losing his second home. This is directly due to the malpractice at Sol Plaatje municipality, that unduly left him without a salary for almost three years.Sol Plaatje must now afford Japhta the opportunity to recoup all that which he has lost.As previously alluded to, Japhta’s case is not an isolated case. This strategy of “double-parking” has been the modus operandi used to get rid of a number of officials who have threatened the likes of Matika and Sebolecwe. In fact, the DA has it on good authority that Sol Plaatje already owes in excess of R16 million to law firms, for similar labour disputes to that of Japhta’s, that the municipality has lost.The DA therefore calls on Saul, who has just this week been given a mandate by his party to involve himself extensively in malfunctioning municipalities, to intervene in the case of Japhta and others like him.It is time to bring an end to the madness that took hold of Sol Plaatje municipality under the leadership of the ousted Mayor Matika. |
| Media Enquiries |
| Andrew LouwDA Northern Cape Provincial Leader Shelley De WittResearcher082 847 1387 |
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