Disgraced councillor off the payroll after two years
Two years after Ward 26 councillor was arrested on charges of housebreaking, assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, and attempted rape on a 12-year-old girl after an alleged drinking spree, he was taken off the municipal payroll.
This decision was made known during a Council Sitting on April 29.
The councillor was arrested in Ga-Nala in May 2023.
Mpumalanga SAPS spokesperson Brigadier Selvy Mohlala said this arrest follows a chain of events that started at 21:30 when the victim's elder sister alleged that she heard somebody breaking into the house.
'She alleged that the person tried to open her bedroom door, which was fortunately locked. She then immediately called a friend and requested that he immediately alert the police.'
The intruder allegedly assaulted the younger teenage girl and tried to rape her.
Mohlala said that while still in a state of shock, the elder sister reportedly heard her younger sister calling for her uncle to rescue her.
'The report further states that the intruder responded by saying that the uncle was not in the house. At that moment, the police arrived, and upon noticing their arrival, the intruder reportedly abandoned what he was doing and escaped through the window, leaving behind his T-shirt as well as his mobile phone,'' said Mohlala.
He was arrested soon afterward.
Bongani Thwala, serving on Section 79 Technical Service and Section 80 Corporate Service Committees, has been absent from 15 consecutive council meetings between October 2024 and March 2025.
Despite his prolonged absence, no decisive action was taken. According to Emlahleni's Standing Rules of Order, a councillor who is absent from three consecutive council or portfolio committee meetings without a valid apology must be referred to the Rules and Ethics Committee.
'Noting the above, we hope the municipality will act and facilitate the appointment of a suitable candidate so that services can be delivered in this ward. Failure to accede to this will leave us with no choice but to approach the Department of CoGHSTA for intervention,' said Aaron Khumalo, DA Councillor.
The municipality spokesperson, Lebo Mofokeng, said, 'The speaker made a recommendation that his salary be stopped as from when and until I'm not sure because he further requested that a letter should be written to the MEC Coghsta to advise.'
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