Judge 'granted secret order' to oust municipal manager

Bojosinyane says judgment was under appeal

- By Setumo Stone

Ditsobotla Local Municipality's ousted municipal manager, Olaotse Bojosinyane, has reported two North West High Court judges to Chief Justice Mandisa Maya for violating court procedures, ignoring appeals, and effectively conspiring to remove him from office without due process.

The two are judge Maria Reid and acting justice Jenine Khan.

In a sworn affidavit addressed to Maya, dated May 15, Bojosinyane alleges that Judge Reid granted a court order in his absence, failed to notify relevant parties, disregarded statutory requirements, and enforced a judgment already under appeal.

Bojosinyane's complaint centres on a sequence of legal events following his controversial appointment as municipal manager on July 4, 2024, with his tenure beginning July 8. Just two days into his role, Thapelo Sehemo, an employee and former speaker, applied for an urgent court order to nullify the appointment. Judge Reid struck this matter from the roll, citing “lack of urgency”.

However, the North West MEC for Cooperative Governance, Oageng Molapisi, filed a review application three months later to challenge the validity of Bojosinyane's appointment.

On March 14, acting justice Raymond Titus ruled against Bojosinyane's appointment, a decision which he immediately appealed. Despite this pending appeal, Reid on April 4 presided over an application to enforce Titus's judgment. On April 10, she allegedly approved a draft order “by agreement” between Molapisi's legal team and Ditsobotla Municipality's attorneys, Sifumba Attorneys, to remove him from his job.

He asserts that the order was granted despite his filed notice of intention to oppose and without informing his legal representatives.