EFF mulls coalition with IFP to co-govern rudderless Impendle Municipality
The EFF in KwaZulu-Natal has called on the remaining councillors in the Impendle Local Municipality to convene and elect the Mayor and Speaker for the sake of the residents.
The tiny municipality outside Pietermaritzburg, is again without political leadership after the ANC suspended the Mayor Kho Dlamini and Speaker Zibuze Dlamini hours after their election on Friday. The council had been without these leadership position for eight months.
Their suspension, which bars them from participating in the municipality activities on behalf of the ANC, means that there are six eligible councillors remaining – two each from the ANC, EFF and IFP.
Speaking on Monday, EFF provincial secretary Vukani Ndlovu called for a constitution of the remaining councillors in order to serve the people of Impendle.
“We cannot allow a situation where the people of Impendle are left stranded because of ANC internal squabbles. We need an urgent intervention to reconstitute the council and elect the Mayor and the Speaker as a matter of urgency. If it means we must be a coalition, let it be,” said Ndlovu.
The DA also weighed in, calling on KwaZulu-Natal Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA) MEC, Rev. Thulasizwe Buthelezi to urgently intervene in the municipality and place it under administration.
Thami Sithole, a DA councillor in Umgungudlovu District Municipality who is responsible for Impendle, said Friday’s saga has ‘once again exposed the ANC for its inability to govern Impendle.
“An urgent intervention is needed in Impendle particularly in the administration because it has been proven that political leadership is incapable of solving problems, therefore we call on the Cogta MEC to immediately place the municipality under his administrative control for the benefit of residents and the workers who until today have not been paid their salaries,” said Sithole.
He stated that the summary suspension of four ANC councillors means that service delivery continues to be at standstill.
Cogta had not commented on the matter at the time of publishing.
The 10-seat municipality has been without a mayor since July last year after ANC’s Buyisani Mlaba was ousted through a vote of no confidence. The motion was filed by the EFF and all ANC councillors, except the mayor, abstained.
willem.phungula@inl.co.za