"Totally mala fide (in bad faith) and reckless" is the strong reaction concerning the composition of the Makhado Municipality’s name- change committee appointed to spearhead the new name-change process.

The names of the committee members were made known when the mayor of Makhado Municipality, Cllr Glory Mashaba, announced them during her budget speech on May 28.

The 10-member committee comprises two traditional leaders and eight councillors, of which the majority are proportionally representative (PR) councillors, with two ward councillors. Six of the eight councillors are from the ANC, one from the UDM and one from the ACDP.

The chairpersons association (CA), which was recognised as a stakeholder and interested group by the Appellate Division, strongly objected to the way that the committee was appointed.

"You have blatantly ignored the court decision by not consulting us in respect of the committee to be appointed and in respect of the process to be followed..." states a letter from the CA to the Makhado Mayor.

The Appeal Court ruled in favour of the CA that the name change of Louis Trichardt to Makhado be set aside. One of the reasons was the lack of consultation during the process.

The 10 members of the committee to restart the name-change process are Khosi MA Madzivhandila of Tshakuma Village, Khosi TJ Mukhari of Elim Shirley Village, Councillor Dudley Malete (ANC councillor for Louis Trichardt, Ward 20), Cllr FJ Rikhotso (ANC councillor for Njhanjhanaka, a ward near Bungeni), ANC Cllr MR Mufamadi (from Tshakuma), ANC Cllr P Phaswana (from Nzhelele), ANC Cllr P Sikhutsi (from Madombidzha), ANC Cllr TJ Mudau (from Vuwani), UDM Cllr LP Mashau and ACDP Cllr BF Hlungwani.

"We wish to seriously object to the manner in which you conduct the affairs in respect of the name change and insist that you are acting in a totally male fide manner and also in an extremely reckless manner which we regard as unlawful and not in terms of the Constitution of South Africa," reads the letter of the CA, dated June 5.

The Democratic Alliance expressed shock at not being included in the committee. DA Councillor Jacques Smalle said that it had been agreed with Council that the DA would have a representative on the committee.

"The ANC clearly ignored their own decision of including the DA in the committee. That raises the question of inclusiveness and transparency of the process," said Cllr Smalle.

Mr André Naudé, chairperson of the CA, said on June 5 that the composition of the committee was one-sided, deficient and already designed to highjack the process.

"There has been no integrity in the process, but malicious intent," said Mr Naudé.

In the letter to the mayor, the CA warned that the process that was being followed was so blatantly flawed that no court would be able to give sanction to the process.

"A special punitive-cost court order on an attorney and own client basis will be requested against all parties to be joined as respondents in this matter," warned the CA’s letter.

The letter to the mayor is the second letter by the CA delivered with prejudice of rights and refers to the first letter, on the name-change issue, dated May 7. The official municipal spokesperson, Mr Peter Magwala, declined to comment on the previous letter, in the light of the prejudice of rights. Magwala said, however, that the municipality would answer within the allocated time, which expires on June 7.