Will the ANC be able to survive a vote of no confidence and remain in power in the Mtubatuba Local Municipality?

IFP is expected to take back Mtubatuba from the ANC after the council meeting on Wednesday.

IFP is expected to take back Mtubatuba from the ANC after the council meeting on Wednesday.

Published Jan 12, 2022

Share

DURBAN - The ANC in the far north region of KwaZulu-Natal is hoping to survive a motion of no confidence and remain in power in the Mtubatuba Municipality.

The long- awaited council meeting, which was requested by the IFP last month in order to pass a motion of no confidence in the ANC leadership, will finally sit on Wednesday.

ANC regional chairperson Simphile Mdakane told the Daily News on Tuesday that his party was ready to defend all the positions the IFP wants to take through the motion.

“We have won the council election with these numbers and nothing has changed, so councillors as individuals know that since the ANC took over it was responsive to the needs of the people, so we are hoping they would vote according to their conscience tomorrow,” Mdakane said.

The IFP filed a motion of no confidence last month to remove the mayor, deputy mayor and speaker. All these positions are currently 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.

Speaker Dipuo 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, to draft the agenda.

Apart from the motion, the council is also expected to appoint the acting municipal manager to replace Siyabonga Ntuli who resigned to take the position of acting municipal manager in the uMkhanyakude District Municipality.

The first council meeting after the local government elections was marred with drama, after the IFP councillors walked out.

Although the council appeared to have lost the quorum, it continued and the ANC won all troika positions.

By walking out, the IFP lost an opportunity to select councillors that were going to present the party in the uMkhanyakude District, but Mdakane said whatever happens in Mtubatuba will have no bearing on uMkhanyakude, because the matter of whether the inaugural council sat illegally or not was still in court.

Daily News

Related Topics:

ANCIFPLocal Government