DURBAN - THE INKATHA Freedom Party (IFP) in KwaZulu-Natal has accused the ANC in Mtubatuba of clinging to power by default.
The IFP’s provincial chairperson Thami Ntuli told the Daily News on Wednesday that the ANC’s decision to appeal the court ruling that the speaker should call a council meeting so that a vote of no confidence should take place was a desperate attempt to cling to power by applying delaying tactics. Ntuli said the ANC knew that once the council sat IFP would reclaim both Mtubatuba and uMkhanyakude from its hands.
“These are unnecessary delaying tactics which would not last long. It is even wrong that the speaker and the municipal manager decided to appeal the ruling without the council resolution,” said Ntuli.
ANC regional secretary Thobelani Ncamphalala refused to comment and referred queries to the mayor Mbongeni Gina and municipality spokesperson Mduduzi Mahlinza.
Attempts to find both the mayor and Mahlinza were unsuccessful but ANC youth league regional task team spokesperson Dumisani Shabalala said his party was not scared of the motion of no confidence and did not fear to lose these municipalities to the IFP.
Last week the Pietermaritzburg High Court had ruled and directed the speaker to call the council to sit for a motion of no confidence but instead the speaker and municipality went to court to appeal. The matter was expected to be heard on Tuesday however the judge did not come. Ntuli said information they received was that the judge who was supposed to listen to the appeal had to attend an emergency in the family therefore the matter was postponed to a later date.
In the first council meeting drama unfolded during voting when the IFP walked out, this after two of its councillors were refused entry after having left the venue.
Despite the walkout voting continued where the ANC won mayor, deputy positions. The IFP then went to court to challenge the outcome saying the council did not reach quorum.
By walking out the IFP also lost the opportunity to vote for councillors that were going to represent the party in uMkhanyakude district. The IFP just needed two councillors to take over uMkhanyakude.
In the 44-seat council, the IFP received 19 seats followed by ANC with 15, the EFF four, while smaller parties, which included NFP, AIC, UDM, DA, ACDP and Independent, got one each.
With EFF’s four seats and one from the DA, the IFP was expected to win easily.
Daily News