In giving him a second chance, former Executive Mayor of Moqhaka Local Municipality Motloheloa Mokatsane is redeployed to serve as the MMC for Integrated Development Plan on Monday, 18 May 2026.
In 2025, the African National Congress (ANC) announced its decision to recall underperforming Mokatsane in August 2025 alongside six other mayors, which led to the suspension of his party membership in September 2025 following his defiance of the directive.
At the time he refused to resign, he was a top leader of the Fezile Dabi region serving as the deputy regional chairperson of the ANC
A concerned resident of Free State, Portia Peterson asked: “This appointment raises serious questions about accountability and governance. How can the municipality expect residents to have confidence in its leadership when individuals associated with underperformance are continually recycled into influential roles?
“Communities deserve leaders who are competent, responsive, and committed to improving service delivery. Rewarding perceived incompetence only undermines public trust and reinforces the belief that political loyalty matters more than performance.”
The newly elected Executive Mayor Ramasimong Tau appointed Pule Phamotse as the MMC for Community & Social Services, and Morena Thebe as the MMC for Public Safety during a Special Council meeting which was convened on Monday in Kroonstad Council Chambers.
Itumeleng Sesing and Moipone Lulama are expected to lead as the MMCs for Technical & Infrastructure Services and for Special Programmes. The finance department will be led by Tshokolo Ntsala, while Moeketsi Tshabalala is heading the Local Economic Development (LED) portfolio.
Tau did not leave Solly Ramathibe and Thabo Mofokeng out of his mayoral committee and rewarded them with positions as MMCs for Corporate Support Services and for Human Settlement & Spatial Planning.
Tau and Nthabiseng Mokodutlo Magengenene were elected on Thursday, 07 May 2026 , after the resignation of the then Council Speaker Selloane Khiba and Mokatsane.
City Report has previously reported that the regional leaders of ANC in Fezile Dabi region have allegedly briefed twenty-two (22) councillors of the party to delay the election of councillor Tau and Magengenene. Before the special meeting of the municipality, the ANC national leadership pronounced Tau as the new mayoral candidate, after Magengenene failed to make it as the preferred candidate.
While accepting his new role as the executive mayor, Tau said it is a call to serve people with honesty, discipline, commitment, and urgency. He emphasised that water shortages in Kroonstad, Viljoenskroon, and Steynsrus, have severely impacted residents’ daily lives.
“Our people are waiting for residential sites. The backlog of housing opportunities continues to frustrate many families who have waited for years for access to land and dignified shelter. We have the responsibility to accelerate the 5300 residential sites project and ensure that allocation processes are transparent, fair, and free from corruption. We should not leave both Steynsrus and Viljoenskroon behind.
“Water shortages continue to affect our communities. Water is life, and no resident of Moqhaka should suffer without reliable access to clean water. We will prioritise urgent intervention in our water infrastructure, including pump stations, pipelines, reservoirs, and sanitation systems.
We will work closely with provincial and national government to restore dignity through proper water and sanitation services,” said Tau.
