The ANC in KwaZulu-Natal has called on the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs to intervene after private security personnel entered the Nquthu Municipality’s Council Chambers and removed ANC councillors from the sitting.
The incident, which was captured on video and circulated widely on social media, took place earlier this week.
The video shows security guards manhandling an unidentified councillor. Councillors can be heard shouting and asking what Zikode has done.
The security officers, clad in heavy body armour, are seen grabbing two councillors and attempting to drag them from the chambers.
The ANC in KwaZulu-Natal has accused the IFP of orchestrating the attack on their councillors.
“The IFP could not engage on the rational points they were raising. They decided to bring in those thugs whom they hired to take out our councillors. These are not security employed by the municipality these are private thugs,” says ANC KZN Spokesperson, Nhlakanipho Ntombela.
But the IFP has dismissed the allegations. The party says it was the ANC councillors who were unruly.
“The ANC councillors did not want to see the council meeting continuing. They really wanted to halt the council. They did not want to see anything that had to be discussed of service delivery. Whenever there members who are disrupting the council you have to find ways and means to do that. Even the one who was recording you can see that it was well planned, well-orchestrated,” says IFP Provincial Chairperson, Thami Ntuli.
The ANC believes that the election of the IFP’s current mayor – Lindokuhle Shabalala – was unlawful. The party is citing the fact that the council meeting in which Shabalala was elected was held while the country was in level 5 lockdown as reason for its assertions.
The KwaZulu-Natal Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs says it is aware of the dispute and will investigate further. – Report by Bongani Gema
