Mayor suspended by ANC in 'difficult but necessary decision'

In a last-ditch effort to stop protests before the elections, the ANC has suspended the mayor of the Madibeng Local Municipality, Jostina Mothibe.

Heading the ANC tentative structure in the province, science and technology minister Mmamoloko Kubayi-Ngubane said the decision was taken after concerns were raised by the community.

"This difficult but necessary decision was taken to protect the integrity and the decorum of the organisation,” she said.

Kubayi-Ngubane said there was enough evidence to warrant Mothibe's removal from office and she had been informed of her suspension.

The decision to remove Mothibe comes as protesters in Oukasie, near Brits, this week burnt tyres and barricaded roads in a protest about lack of services.

Last year, protesters shut down the municipal officers, demanding better services.

"We will ensure that various measures are put in place to ensure that service delivery is not affected and to restore services to the community of Madibeng,” Kubayi-Ngubane said.

Brits is one of the areas identified by the police as a hotspot for violence and protests in the upcoming elections.

Mothibe faced the wrath of the opposition when it emerged that the municipality, under her watch, invested R50m in VBS Bank, of which it received only R20m back.

In the 2016/2017 financial year, the auditor-general reported more than half a billion rand in wasteful and irregular expenditure.