Durban - The alleged factional battles of the ANC in the Harry Gwala region spilt onto the R56 road on Thursday when some members of the party blocked the major southern KwaZulu-Natal highway, demanding that one of their councillors be immediately reinstated.
The protesting community was demanding that councillor Themba Mahlaba be brought back to do his job at Ubuhlebezwe (Ixopo) Local Municipality.
Mahlaba has been out of his post since October last year after he was suspended by the provincial secretary of the ANC, Bheki Mtolo.
In the letter served to Mahlaba who was once the municipality’s mayor on two occasions - first between 1998 and 2000 and later between 2004 and 2006, no specific reasons were advanced for the suspension.
NEWS: Ubuhlebezwe municipality in KZN is currently under siege from protestors who are reportedly demanding the reinstatement of Councillor Themba Mahlaba. Mahlaba has been on suspension since October 2022 on what his supporters say are "frivolous" charges by Bheki Mtolo. @IOL pic.twitter.com/Elh3tXHqyR
— Sihle Mavuso (@ZANewsFlash) May 25, 2023
Other than being suspended from the municipality, Mahlaba was suspended from all ANC activities by Mtolo.
However, IOL learnt that Mahlaba’s troubles started when he allegedly took the job as a councillor without authority from his employer, the KwaZulu-Natal Office of the Premier.
Mahlaba was not immediately available for comment regarding the allegations against him.
His backers claimed that he is a victim of factional fights within the region and his preferences when it comes to provincial and national conferences.
“He is being victimised by one senior leader in the provincial office for backing President Cyril Ramaphosa,” one party member in the region claimed while speaking to IOL.
On Thursday the battle spilled into the road and it got nasty.
WATCH: ANC members from the Harry Gwala region marching to the offices of Ubuhlebezwe local municipality to demand the reinstatement of Councillor Themba Mahlaba. Mahlaba was suspended by Bheki Mtolo, the ANC's provincial secretary, in October last year. @IOL pic.twitter.com/lohh4QOvlu
— Sihle Mavuso (@ZANewsFlash) May 25, 2023
The protesters barricaded the road with burning tyres and logs, blocking motorists travelling to towns like Umzimkhulu and Kokstad in the south and Richmond and Pietermaritzburg in the north.
The SAPS’s public order police unit was called in and it dispersed them and cleared the road.
The protesters later marched to the newly opened offices of the municipality in the centre of the town of Ixopo.
Their peaceful protest coincided with the official opening of the new municipal offices which was attended by the KwaZulu-Natal MEC for cooperative governance and traditional affairs, Bongi Sithole.
It was also attended by the Mayor of the Harry Gwala district municipality, Zamo Nxumalo who is also the chairperson of the ANC in the region.
The spokesperson of the ANC in the region, Qiniso Mnguni, told IOL that Mahlaba is undergoing internal disciplinary processes.
“The matter of Cde (comrade) Themba Mahlaba is in the ANC KZN Provincial Disciplinary Committee, he is attending a disciplinary hearing at that level.
“We are currently waiting for the outcome of that process.
“For further information please liaise with Cde Bheki Mtolo, the ANC KZN (provincial secretary),” Mnguni said.
The municipality promised to respond when it was asked whether Mahlaba is still getting his full salary or not - and it never did.
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