Cape Town - The ANC in the Western Cape has threatened disciplinary action against its councillors should its instruction to withdraw from the coalition in Kannaland Municipality not be implemented.
The party said there should be no excuse for its councillors not to know about the party’s decision to withdraw from the coalition with the Independent Congress of South Africa (Icosa).
It withdrew from the coalition that saw its councillor Nicolaas Valentyn taking the council’s Speaker position after the outcry over the election of Icosa’s Jeffrey Donson as the mayor, and fraud convict, Werner Meshoa, as his deputy.
Donson had his five-year sentence for statutory rape and indecent assault reduced to a wholly suspended term of imprisonment, correctional supervision, a R20 000 fine, and he had to go on rehabilitation programme for sex offenders.
The municipality has seven councillors, with three being from Icosa, two from the ANC and one each for the DA and Kannaland Independent Party.
Briefing the media, ANC interim provincial leadership convenor Lerumo Kalako said the party had wrestled control of a number of municipalities away from the DA and entered into coalitions with other parties, including in Kannaland.
Kalako said the process was not without its challenges. “A decision was taken to review the coalition agreement in Kannaland due to the serious matters affecting the mayor and deputy mayor. As a result, the ANC has pulled out of the coalition in Kannaland formally and the ANC speaker has now assumed the role of opposition.”
He said the provincial leadership had communicated the decision to the regional and sub-regional structures.
“That was still in the process. In fact, yesterday we learnt that there is a council meeting scheduled while on our side the communication going down there to the comrades that the Speaker must withdraw and we must be in opposition.
“The ANC will take a position that does not partake in decisions which are actually not detrimental to people. We will support decisions pertaining to service delivery.”
Kalako said they had heard there was a council meeting held on Thursday and their regional leadership had been advised to act on the matter.
“We mandated the region to go in there and address the local structures of the sub-region and inform them about this decision.
“There is no excuse for the comrades to not know. They know that we are withdrawing,” he said.
“We will follow up and make sure that we withdraw. Those who refuse to take the instruction will face the consequences,” Kalako added.
Political Bureau