Faction fights in the ANC led Umzumbe local municipality on the KwaZulu-Natal south coast have resulted in the special council sitting electing an IFP mayor, over one of their own.
The meeting endorsed a motion of no-confidence against ANC Mayor Bongani Nyuswa.
It elected instead the IFP’s Mlungisi Ndlovu.
There are also questions over Speaker Sibonelo Maphumulo.
#sabcnews Faction fights in the ANC led uMzumbe Local Municipality on the south coast have resulted in the special Council sitting electing IFP mayor Mlungisi Ndlovu. The meeting endorsed a motion of no confidence against ANC mayor. pic.twitter.com/zVRI0EMgck
— Nonkululeko Hlophe (@Leko3) February 9, 2024
Tensions were visibly high at the special council meeting of the Umzumbe Municipality.
The ANC has 21 seats in the council, while the IFP has 14 seats.
#sabcnews Faction fights in the ANC led uMzumbe Local Municipality on the south coast have resulted in the special Council sitting electing IFP mayor Mlungisi Ndlovu. The meeting endorsed a motion of no confidence against ANC mayor. pic.twitter.com/zVRI0EMgck
— Nonkululeko Hlophe (@Leko3) February 9, 2024
Opposition parties such as the EFF, Apemo and ATM each have one seat each.
At least 25 of the 39 council members debated a motion of no-confidence against Nyuswa.
Nyuswa however refuses to accept the outcome.
“May I clarify first that Umzumbe Municipality got only one mayor who is councillor Bongani Nyuswa. The reason why I am saying so, it is because the meeting that we are both referring to is a meeting that was convened unlawfully, it is unlawfully because the person who is presiding over the same meeting is the person who was yesterday expelled from the organisation from where he is coming from, which is the African National Congress. According to the structures Act, which is the piece of legislation that governs the running of municipalities in particular, it spells out clearly that a person who is expelled from being a councillor cannot at the same time be the Speaker.”
Nyuswa accuses the Speaker of the Council Sbonelo Maphumulo of convening an illegal meeting.
Maphumulo is accused of leading a campaign to defy party instructions in the council.
SUSPENSION
In December, the ANC suspended him, a decision that he says he has appealed.
“No, we don’t have two mayors we have to correct that we have one mayor and with a council decision we have to be straight forward and maintain that not two mayors. There won’t even be a need to foreface about that law is there, we have one mayor on behalf of this council that matter is done. The mayor has been removed lawfully properly, we have to go back and explain what makes a council meeting lawful. We have standing rules and orders that has been adopted by this council of which there is also structures act accordingly, so the main thing is quorum,” says Maphumulo.
Meanwhile, ANC spokesperson in KwaZulu-Natal Mafika Mndebele says they will be challenging all decisions taken by the special council sitting.
“Our view as the ANC is that this was an irregular council convened and presided over by a non-council member because we have already written to the municipality and expelled the Speaker as a member and as a councillor of the ANC. He convened that particular meeting not having a particular right not having a standing as a result as an ANC. We do not recognize the council that was elected today, should they continue to insist that they are a council, we are going to challenge them, we will challenge them legally if needs to be.”
The ANC says it will go the legal route to nullify the council resolutions.
