The executive mayor of the embattled Nkomazi Municipality east of Mbombela, Mpumalanga has been expelled from the African National Congress (ANC). The ruling party has expelled Johan Mkhatshwa, together with the Speaker of the Nkomazi Municipal council Sphiwe Mashele and five other councillors for allegedly violating the party’s constitution.
The expelled members allegedly defied the ANC after the November Local Government Election.
Apparently, the ANC directed its members to nominate another candidates for both the mayor and speaker positions. But both Mkhatshwa and Mashele accepted nominations from the floor and went on to be elected.
The expelled members were subjected to the party’s disciplinary processes. Their expulsion is sanctioned by the disciplinary committee. They allegedly voted with the opposition.
ANC recommended that Phindile Magagula be nominated and supported as the mayor and Hilda Nyambi as the speaker. But Mkhatshwa and Mashele allegedly accepted nominations from the floor and the other councillors supported them.
Mpumalanga ANC Acting Secretary Lindiwe Ntshalintshali says the party was left with no choice but to expel them.
“And we had several engagements with them. We sent the acting provincial chair to talk to him and other senior comrades in the province but he defied. He has been in the office since he appointed MMC’s which he colluded with some of them. They (are) not even in the ANC; part of them they are in the opposition; he appointed them in the cabinet therefore that was pure defiance. We requested him to step down; he refused. Then we had to write to him to say he must explain in terms why he must not be suspended,” says Ntshalintshali.
The expelled members have a right to appeal their sanctions.
Ntshalintshali says they will be writing to the IEC, notifying the electoral commission of the ANC’s decision and that the councillors no longer represent the party.
“The recommendation of the Provincial Disciplinary Committee is that their membership should be (terminated) from the organisation and they have right to appeal nationally. It’s the party that submits the list of councillors or people that represents them; it’s the party that can withdraw people, so in this case the office of the acting provincial secretary would be writing to the IEC to say these members are expelled from the movement and they are in council and they no longer represent council,” adds Ntshalintshali.
Mkhatshwa and Mashele were not available to comment on their expulsion from the ruling party.
