Pretoria - Disgraced Tshwane ANC councillor Conference Ntuli has been placed on special leave, about two weeks after the Pretoria News exclusively exposed him for being in a romantic relationship with a minor schoolgirl.
His troubles do not end there, as the ANC Youth League plans to march against him within the next few days.
Youth League regional leader Lesego Makhubela told the Pretoria News the march would be joined by all the schools in Atteridgeville to broadly highlight the plight of young women who were impregnated by older men.
Ntuli, of Ward 63 in Atteridgeville, could also be charged with statutory rape after the family of the girl, supported by the ANC Women’s League, laid charges against him at the Atteridgeville police station.
The pair allegedly started dating when she was under 16.
Teboho Joala, spokesman for the ANC Tshwane region, said the party had taken note of allegations of “improper and morally questionable conduct by comrade Ntuli”.
“We appreciate the complexity of the matter and nature of the allegations, but have made a decision in the interests of the family of the young lady in question, the ANC and that of Ntuli. We have decided to advise the chief whip of the council (Jabu Mabona) to put Ntuli on special leave as the matter is being investigated,” Joala said.
The decision was arrived at with the full understanding that Ntuli had yet to be charged by police or any other law enforcement agency. Neither had he been found guilty by a court of law.
“However, as the ANC, guided by our revolutionary morality, we expect all our public representatives to exude ethical, professional and morally sound behaviour,” said Joala. “Their actions must, at a minimum, inspire confidence and hope in our communities. In short, our leaders and public representatives must be above reproach.
“The ANC will continue to engage with the family of the young lady and to extend all possible interventions and assistance they may require. We will monitor the situation and, when the time is right, the decision to place him on special leave will be reviewed and the outcomes will be made public.”
After the news broke, Ntuli said he regretted the embarrassment he had brought to the ANC, the City of Tshwane and his family by having a romantic relationship with a minor.
The councillor, who has been at the helm of the ward since the 2011 local government election, also apologised for the amount of pressure and emotional strain to which the issue would expose the minor.
The girl, whose identity is known to the Pretoria News but cannot be revealed because she is a minor, lives in the same area as Ntuli in Atteridgeville.
She is said to be 18 and in Grade 10 at the Voortrekkerhoogte High School in Pretoria. Ntuli is believed to be in his early 50s.
The two have apparently been love-birds for almost two years now, according to those with inside information, and the relationship started when she was under 16.
Two photographs of them in compromising positions have been doing the rounds on social media platforms since the beginning of the week. They were locked in a passionate kiss in one photo, with their eyes closed. Ntuli was seemingly topless, while the petite light-skinned girl wore only what appeared to be a blue bra. In the second photo, the girl was snapped with a half-smile, with the councillor’s face close to hers, just above her left shoulder, again seemingly topless.
The teenager indicated on her Facebook page that she was in a relationship. “Am aware that my picture is trending; it’s just a picture not a sex tape… Yeah, ka mo rata (I love him).”
At the time, executive mayor Kgosientso Ramokgopa said he was very disturbed by the developments involving Ntuli’s social conduct.
He said he regretted the exposure such conduct would put on the young woman.
His spokesman, Blessing Manale, said afterwards that despite charges being laid against Ntuli, no new facts had arisen out of the matter and the city was therefore not in position to consider taking any remedial, corrective or disciplinary action against the councillor.
But on Sunday, ANC Tshwane regional secretary Paul Mojapelo said that after assessing the situation, the party decided Ntuli could not be its face in the region with a cloud hanging over his head.
Mojapelo said he was in consultation with the chief whip of council and would soon announce the identity of a stand-in councillor. “Ntuli will remain on special leave until the matter has been resolved. Whether the allegations he faces are true or not will be determined by the relevant authorities,” he added.
Pretoria News