‘THE IFP’s takeover of the Ntambanana Municipality should send a clear message to all opposition parties that we are on course and unstoppable.’
This was the message of IFP National Chairperson Blessed Gwala.
He was reacting to news that IFP Councillors wrestled control of the municipality from the hands of the ANC/NFP alliance during the last council meeting of the year, held last Wednesday.
This happened after lengthy deliberations on the two motions on the agenda, the first being the one where ANC Councillors had passed a vote of no confidence against the Deputy Mayor Cllr Excellent Chonco.
But this move was cancelled by a late item of the resignation of the Deputy Mayor which was forwarded to the Speaker Khulekani Vilakazi.
This paved way for the IFP’s motion to be heard, where they had passed a vote of no confidence against the Mayor Cllr Gugu Khumalo, and called for an election of the new mayor.
This was opposed by the ANC Councillors, who cited an error in the agenda, saying it was ‘not in order’.
They then called for a postponement of the meeting, until the agenda was changed.
This request fell on deaf ears, and Speaker Cllr Khulekani Vilakazi continued with an item of an election of the new mayor, with the IFP shifting blame for an error in the agenda to municipal officials.
Seeing that the numbers were against them, the seven ANC Councillors walked out of the meeting, leaving nine councillors who proceeded to elect IFP Cllr Excelent Chonco as the new Mayor, while NFP Cllr Ndlunkulu Gabisile Biyela was elected as the new Deputy Mayor.
Gwala congratulated his party for bring back Ntambanana at the hands of the IFP.
‘Service delivery suffered due to the constant squabbles between those two parties (NFP and ANC).
‘This give us confidence as we move towards the 2016 Local Government Elections.
‘People of Ntambanana and other areas have realised that their municipalities cannot be run by a coalition and they have resolved to turn to the IFP as was seen in recent by-elections that were won by the IFP,’ said Gwala.
