Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader Julius Malema says his party has instructed their lawyers to look into the awarding of positions in eThekwini.
Speaking during a media briefing at the party’s headquarters in Ghandi Square on Thursday, Malema says that the party suspects that there may have been illegal activities in the process.
He says former President Jacob Zuma and suspended African National Congress (ANC) Secretary-General, Ace Magashule saved the eThekwini Metro in reaching out to Abantu Batho Congress leader Philani Mavundla.
Mavundla is now the Deputy Mayor in the metro.
On Wednesday, eThekwini re-elected Mxolisi Kaunda of the ANC as the Mayor of the metro, narrowly defeating the Democratic Alliance’s candidate. ANC’s Sihle Zikalala welcomes Kaunda’s re-election:
Malema says something is not right.
MALEMA: We think something illegal happened in eThekwini.
ANC gave itself power it does not have.
Our lawyers are looking into that. #EFFPresser
— Economic Freedom Fighters (@EFFSouthAfrica) November 25, 2021
EFF’s Motjoane to resign
Meanwhile, the EFF leader says the party has requested the Mayor of Metsimaholo Municipality to resign with immediate effect. EFF Councillor Selloane Motjoane was elected mayor of the municipality in the Free State, which has been rocked by divisions in the past.
The EFF had successfully negotiated the mayoral seat in the Metsimaholo Council – which was one of the province’s four hung municipalities.
“We had a meeting this morning with the mayor of Metsimaholo and councillors and we have asked the mayor to resign with immediate effect because she became a mayor through the vote of the ANC. She was so happy because she said to us that ANC people were demanding illegal things from her immediately after electing her, then they were starting to talk corruption and the type of things they want to do. She will remain our mayoral candidate in Metsimaholo. We will persuade the DA to vote with us. If they don’t want to, we will vote with them and give them the municipality.”
EFF briefing on outcomes of council meetings:
Voting against ANC
Malema says the party has acted in the best interests of the county’s municipalities by voting against the ANC. DA Mayors were elected in the three metros in Gauteng: Tshwane, Ekurhuleni and Johannesburg.
The DA also secured the mayorship of Mogale City.
In a surprise turn of events, the EFF and ActionSA voted for the DA candidates solely to unseat the ANC.
DA leader John Steenhuisen says the support from both parties came with no strings attached and they will not be held ransom.
