Press Statement by Marius Opperman – DA Councillor in Thaba Chweu Local Municipality
There is no record of a meeting that discussed allegations of employee misconduct.
DA was unable to attend due to changing of times.
The minutes of the meeting must be published.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Thaba Chweu has asked the Speaker, Herns Trower, to investigate the legality of a Corporate Services Portfolio Committee Ordinary Sitting held on 9 April 2026.
In this meeting, allegations of administration flaws relating to the recruitment process for general workers and the alleged misconduct of the former Director of Corporate Services was discussed.
The DA’s committee member serving on this portfolio requested proof of attendance at the meeting but was not provided with an attendance register. The DA was unable to attend this meeting after the municipality changed the time of meeting at the 11th hour.
The absence of such documentation has raised concerns regarding whether the meeting was properly constituted and whether a quorum was present when the committee conducted its business.
The DA maintains that, in the absence of verifiable proof that a quorum existed, the validity of any resolutions adopted during the meeting are invalid. These concerns become even more significant as several items considered during the committee meeting were subsequently submitted to Council for approval.
In terms of the Local Government: Municipal Structures Act, municipal committees must conduct their affairs in accordance with procedures determined by Council, while decisions of municipal structures must be taken in a lawful and procedurally fair manner. The principle of a quorum is fundamental to lawful decision-making, ensuring that decisions are not taken by an insufficient number of members. Where a meeting proceeds without the required quorum, any resolutions adopted may be vulnerable to legal challenge and must be declared invalid.
The DA further argues that transparency and accountability require that attendance records be maintained and made available when the legitimacy of a meeting is questioned. Councillors are under a statutory duty to attend meetings of committees on which they serve, and municipalities are expected to maintain proper records of their proceedings.
With this in mind, we urge the Speaker to investigate the circumstances surrounding the meeting and to determine whether the required quorum was present throughout the proceedings. Should it be established that the meeting was not quorate, the DA believes that all recommendations and resolutions emanating from that meeting should be reviewed and, where necessary, rescinded and reconsidered through a properly constituted process.
Residents of Thaba Chweu deserve assurance that municipal decisions are taken in accordance with the law and that governance processes are transparent, accountable and beyond reproach. The DA therefore calls for full disclosure of the attendance records and minutes of the meeting to restore public confidence in the municipality’s decision-making processes.