Johannesburg - The African National Congress in Tlokwe (Potchefstroom) Municipality plans to reinstate its former mayor, who was ousted in favour of a Democratic Alliance candidate, at a council meeting in two weeks, it said on Monday.
“A council meeting is scheduled on 26 February, 2013, to reinstate the ANC mayor to correct the wrongs that were created by the ANC councillors,” said ANC spokesperson Jackson Mthembu.
“We believe that this will go a long way to restore the confidence of the community in our councillors,” he said in statement after a two-day meeting of the ANC national working committee (NWC) in the council chamber.
Fighting ANC factions passed a motion of no confidence in mayor Maphetle Maphetle in November.
He was replaced by DA councillor Annette Combrinck - the first DA mayor in the province - when she defeated ANC candidate Lucky Tsagae by 20 votes to 19 for the mayoral position.
Several ANC members tabled a notice of a motion of no confidence in Combrinck shortly after she won the vote.
The ANC North West condemned the move against Maphetle as an embarrassment and shame to the party.
Mthembu said on Monday that the North West had been identified by the ANC's national executive committee as one of the provinces with problems.
“All councillors apologised for their unbecoming behaviour and expressed regret for having let down the organisation,” he said.
Mthembu said the NWC had also received a detailed report about the circumstances behind the disbanding of the party's Kenneth Kaunda region a few weeks ago.
There were plans to hold a regional conference to elect new leadership, he said.
Mthembu said the NWC would return to Tlokwe in the first week of March to conclude all matters. - Sapa