ANC speaks out on Melmoth mayoral fiasco
ANC's Regional Acting Chairperson, Nonhle Mkhulisi has spoken out at last about the reported axing of Melmoth mayor
THE ANC in Musa Dladla Region has broken its silence on the Mthonjaneni mayoral debacle which unfolded on 14 October.
On that day, a vote of no confidence was passed for Mayor Shadile Ndlangamandla and Ward 4 Councillor Mbangiseni Biyela was elected to replace her.
ANC’s Regional Acting Chairperson, Nonhle Mkhulisi said in an exclusive interview that the ANC was still firmly in control of both Mthonjaneni and uThungulu Municipalities, dismissing the IFP’s actions as ‘cheap politics’.
She responded to a number of questions from the Zululand Observer.
ZO: Please clarify the status of the political leadership at Mthonjaneni Municipality. Who is the Mayor now?
Mkhulisi: The Mayor of Mthonjaneni Municipality is Cllr Shandile Ndlangamandla, who was elected in 2011 after the local Government Election. She will complete her five year term as is the case with all other Mayors. As we speak she is in the Mayor’s Office.
ZO: Are you challenging the Council meeting that elected IFP Cllr Biyela as the new Mayor even though they followed all proper procedures?
Mkhulisi: What procedures? We are here to correct that. Legally their procedures were flawed. That Council is made up of eleven Councillors, and that meeting was only attended by five IFP Councillors. The Speaker of the day had no right to preside over that meeting as she had been expelled by her party (NFP). Secondly no senior management were present in that meeting, such as the Municipal Manager. Even the MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA) Nomusa Dube-Ncube has rejected that ‘mini circus’ that took place on that day, and has assured all residents of Mthonjaneni that their municipality is still in safe hands under Mayor Ndlangamandla.
ZO: But we are told your Councillors ‘ran away’ from the meeting?
Mkhulisi: No, they did not run away. They refused to participate in an illegal meeting where there was no official senior manager present.
ZO: How do you know about the Speaker being expelled, and when was this ?
Mkhulisi: Remember we are in coalition with the NFP at a Provincial Level. We do meet now and then with them in a five-a-side format, where we discuss issues that are contained in the Memorandum of Understanding.
ZO: With all this drama, do you see yourself retaining uThungulu as the ANC?
Mkhulisi: Without a doubt. Ours is to consolidate our strength, and make inroads in areas where we have not been visible, in terms of winning people’s heart. Winning Ward 8 by-election in uMlalazi Municipality was the first step towards penetrating all areas that have eluded us in the past.
ZO: But you also lost Ward 5 by-election in Ntambanana to the IFP. Shouldn’t that worry you?
Mkhulisi: We are worried, but also that by-election came at time when we were still mourning the untimely death of our Chairperson the late Thulani Mashaba. We were not focused.
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