'Brown sugar in engine' mayor axed from Gauteng municipality

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The Democratic Alliance (DA) has alleged that brown sugar was poured into the engine of a vehicle assigned to Sedibeng District Municipality mayor in Gauteng, Lerato Maloka following mechanical issues.�

Maloka, who was ousted in a motion of no confidence on Wednesday, 29 January, allegedly refused to use the Mercedes Benz for a year and had to be forced by the council to use it.�

GAUTENG MUNICIPALITY MAYOR OUSTED VIA NO-CONFIDENCE MOTION

The DA-sponsored motion passed with 26 councillors voting in favor, while 21 voted against.

DA councillor Sibusiso Dyonase said the Sedibeng District Municipality is finally rid of the ineffective and problematic Maloka.

Within the next 14 days, another council meeting will be convened where a new mayor will be elected.

Gauteng Lerato Maloka — Twenty six councillors in the Sedibeng District Municipality in Gauteng voted in favour of the motion against Lerato Maloka. Image: X/@samkelemaseko

Dyonase said the motion was brought in 2024, following Maloka’s failure to, amongst other things, implement the financial recovery plan, as was required of her by the MEC of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA), leaving the municipality’s finances in limbo.�

The councillor said this, along with a hefty increase in fruitless, wasteful, and irregular expenditures, unfunded budgets, and the municipality’s reaching a point where 75% of its finances are being spent on salaries, severely impacting service delivery, made her exit today a foregone conclusion.

“Mayor Maloka failed in her statutory obligations and moral obligations to the municipality, its employees, and its people. Whilst the municipality was struggling to pay salaries, the mayor felt it prudent to spend more than R550 000 on a trip to Germany.

“But most shockingly, she refused to use a Mercedes Benz GLB provided to her for an entire year. When she was finally forced to use it by council, the car developed mechanical problems – technicians found that brown sugar had been poured into the engine,” he said.�

EFF WELCOMES

The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) in Gauteng has also welcomed Maloka’s ousting saying Sedibeng has been in a state of decay, riddled with corruption, incompetence and poor service delivery.

The party said it has been long evident that the ANC no longer commands majority in Sedibeng District and Emfuleni Local Municipality (also in Gauteng). However, “their continued arrogance and refusal to acknowledge their declining support have led them to govern as if they still hold an outright majority.

“Today’s [Wednesday] vote serves as a reality check – the people of Sedibeng did not give an political party outright majority to lead the district and Emfuleni Local Municipality. No party can claim unchecked power and accountability will be enforced at all times,” the party said.