The African National Congress (ANC) Interim Provincial Committee (IPC) in the North West has condemned the removal of the Mayor of Maqwassi Hills local municipality in Wolmaranstad.
Noni Kgabi was removed through a motion of no confidence led by the Forum 4 Service Delivery. Thirteen ANC councillors are reported to have joined forces with five opposition party members and voted in support of the motion.
The ANC in the province has lambasted its deployees, who colluded with the opposition to remove their own Mayor.
IPC spokesperson Kenny Morolong says: “We wish to condemn with disdain acts of counter-revolution displayed by our representatives in this municipal council. ANC comrades elected to vote with the opposition to remove a mayor of the ANC without being directed to do so by the ANC. These comrades have no authority to do so, they have been deployed by the ANC. They serve at the behest of the ANC.”
The Forum 4 Service Delivery, which has only two seats in council, proposed a motion supported by 13 ANC councillors. The Mayor, Kgabi, was removed, as some of her colleagues accused her of failing to perform her oversight role.
They say this has impacted negatively on service delivery. Forum 4 Service Delivery councillor Maruping Madibo says even ANC councillors have lost confidence in their own mayor.
“The reason why we removed Noni Kgabi, it was because she did not do her oversight. She did not champion the service delivery. Even the very same ANC councillors they did not have confidence in the mayor. Even the IPC itself it did not have confidence in her.”
However, some residents do not believe that the removal of the Mayor will bring significant changes.
“I am not interested as to who the mayor is. The only problem I have is that they must fix the problem of our sewerage. It’s five years now they are unable to fix this sewer spillage in our area. We can no longer stand against the stench. Even if when you cooked the smell is all over, our children are even affected,” says a resident.
“To remove the mayor will not solve anything because I believe the newly-appointed will do the same as the one who is removed. We will still have a problem of water,” adds another resident.
The party says it will, in due course, announce what form of action it will take against those implicated.
Suspension of membership
Last month, the ANC IPC in North West suspended the membership of Premier Job Mokgoro and others in the provincial legislature.
The IPC says some of its members within the provincial legislature, including the premier, were colluding with opposition parties.
In the video below the North West ANC briefs media on Job Mokgoro:
