Durban - THE IFP in the uMkhanyakude District Municipality has petitioned the speaker for another special council meeting after the one held on Thursdau collapsed.
The party’s caucus leader Makhosini Sithole accused the ANC councillors of disrupting the meeting because they feared loosing out if it continued.
He said the ANC councillors became rowdy therefore forcing the meeting to be cancelled.
“We were ready for the meeting and we were adamant of the victory. The ANC has destroyed this municipality so we have petitioned the speaker again and we want the meeting on Tuesday because we want to fix things here,” said Sithole.
The IFP had asked for the council to remove speaker Thokozani Ngema through a vote of no confidence.
The ANC responded by putting up a motion against mayor Tim Moodley of the IFP. Ngema is an ANC council member.
Another motion on the table called for the removal of the administrator Bamba Ndwandwe whom the IFP has accused of being biased. The party also wants the council to reverse the decision to suspend municipal manager Mxolisi Nkosi.
Ngema denied that the ANC councillors disrupted the meeting because they feared losing out. He said the meeting could not continue after some of the councillors who signed the petition did not attend, adding that in terms of the policy, all councillors who signed the petition must attend the meeting.
However, Sithole dismissed this saying “no such policy existed”.
“The policy says those who signed the petition must be above 51%, which happened. Out of the 16 councillors who signed, only one did not attend so there was no reason for the ANC to disrupt on the basis of one councillor being absent.”
The petition demanded that the speaker calls a meeting.
Sithole claimed the municipal manager was illegally suspended at a council meeting that had no quorum.
He said his party also did not recognise the speaker because he was voted into the position by the ANC councillors.
The troubled municipality borders Eswatini and Mozambique as well as the Zululand and King Cetshwayo district municipalities.
The ANC won it in 2016 but internal divisions within the party since last year had forced the government to intervene and place it under administration after the council had failed to meet since July last year.
The administrator, Bamba Ndwandwe took over earlier this year but, however, the ANC and IFP are still in a bitter fight for control.
The IFP had removed ANC mayor Solomon Mkhondo through a vote of no confidence in March and replaced him with Moodley.
The ANC retained the deputy mayor and speaker positions.
Daily News