DURBAN - THE IFP has taken power back from the ANC in Mtubatuba Municipality, after the motion of confidence on Wednesday.
Although ANC councillors and a few other small parties boycotted the meeting, it went ahead since the number of councillors present constituted a quorum.
IFP local leader Killer Mkhwanazi told the Daily News after the meeting that his party has taken power back from the ANC, adding that the meeting was legal because 25 councillors against 20 were present.
Mkhwanazi said all 19 IFP councillors were present together with four from the EFF, as well as one each from the DA and the ACDP.
Councillors who boycotted the sitting included 16 from the ANC and four from other small parties, which included the NFP and the UDM.
During the election, the IFP’s Mxolisi Mthethwa was elected the mayor, while the deputy mayor’s position went to the EFF’s Nothile Mthethwa.
The speaker’s position went to IFP’s Sibongile Mthethwa-Shezi.
All positions were uncontested.
“Everything went well. Former ANC speaker Dipuo Ntuli and former mayor Mbongeleni Gina were at the meeting but walked out, we had to continue since the quorum was met,” said Mkhwanazi.
Former speaker Ntuli told the Daily News on Wednesday that the meeting was illegal because as a speaker she did not call it.
EFF provincial chairperson Vusi Khoza dismissed Ntuli’s assertion that the meeting was illegal, saying she was lying that she did not call the meeting because letters of invitation to councillors were issued by her office.
ANC regional secretary Thobelani Ncamphalala said as far as he knew, there was no meeting because the speaker never issued an invitation to anyone calling for a meeting, so he did know what the IFP was talking about when it said it had taken the municipality back from ANC hands.
The IFP filed a motion of no confidence last month to remove the mayor, deputy mayor and speaker. All these positions were occupied by the ANC after the IFP walked out during the first sitting.
The IFP had complained that their two councillors who had left were prevented from rejoining the meeting.
This gave the ANC an opportunity to take the municipality, although it did not have enough seats.
The IFP approached the courts to force the speaker to call a meeting to pass a motion arguing that the meeting went ahead without a quorum, and the court ruled in its favour.
Ntuli had told the Daily News on Sunday that she would call the meeting before the end of the week, adding that a delay was caused by the absence of staff, who were on holiday.
Daily News