Durban — The IFP’s Umzinyathi District Municipality mayor, Petros Ngubane, is expected to relinquish his mayoral chains after he was among the nine councillors from Umvoti Local Municipality that the KZN Department of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) fired on Wednesday.
The nine councillors, eight of whom belonged to the IFP, including Ngubane, and one from Abantu Batho Congress (ABC), were found guilty of violating the municipality’s policies by not attending three consecutive council meetings without official leave.
The dismissal was confirmed by Umvoti Municipality speaker Mfundo Masondo, who told the Daily News on Wednesday that all the nine councillors had already been served dismissal letters on Tuesday, which meant they were no longer councillors. Masondo said the council met on Wednesday to map the way forward and the Electoral Commission of South Africa has already been informed about vacancies that it needed to prepare for filling.
Of the eight IFP councillors, four were ward councillors, which meant there would be by-elections to replace them. According to the new policy, even if councillors walk out of the meeting in protest while it is still in session, that is regarded as absence without official leave.
The dismissal meant the IFP was only left with two councillors, while the ABC was left with six. The ANC kept all nine of its councillors. After the 2021 local government elections, the IFP got nine seats while the ANC received 10.
The ABC scored seven seats and teamed up with the IFP to govern the Greytown-based municipality in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands, but in July this year the ABC dumped the IFP and worked with the ANC. In the new arrangement, ABC president Philani Mavundla became the Umvoti mayor, while the position of deputy mayor went to regional ANC chairperson Ntombi Ngubane. The ABC also got the speaker’s position.
In a recent by-election, the IFP snatched ward 2 from the ANC to increase its seats to 10.
Ngubane said he had heard about the dismissal but said he would not vacate his mayoral seat since their lawyers were taking the matter to court.
“I hear they are saying I have been fired, but give me three to five days, you will see. We are taking the matter to court. I will remain the mayor of Umzinyathi. It’s a pity they are doing this after we have laid uMntwana waKwaPhindangene to rest,” said Ngubane.
IFP founder and Zulu traditional prime minister Inkosi Mangosuthu Buthelezi was laid to rest at the weekend.
An IFP councillor in Umzinyathi, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said even if the party was not appealing against the dismissal, the IFP was not going to lose the mayoral position because Ngubane was a PR (proportional representation) councillor in Umzinyathi.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, Cogta said it had taken a decisive step in compliance with the Municipal Systems Act and the Code of Conduct for Municipal Councillors. The department said it took a decision due to the councillors’ prolonged absence from council meetings, which constitutes a breach of the code of conduct.
“This action comes after an extensive process of intervention by our department to seek an amicable solution to assist these councillors in fulfilling their duties in line with the code of conduct for municipal councillors. It is worth emphasising that councillors are expected to conduct themselves in accordance with this code. Councillors hold a pivotal role in the council’s operations as they actively participate in decision-making processes that contribute to the efficient delivery of services.
“Regrettably, we received a complaint from the speaker of Umvoti Municipality concerning councillors who consistently violated the Code of Conduct for Councillors by either not attending or staging walkouts during four consecutive council meetings of Umvoti Local Municipality,” read the statement.
Meanwhile, Mavundla’s position as mayor also hangs in the balance after he was dismissed by his own party. The party has also written to the speaker and the municipal manager to remove him as the councillor. The matter is before the Pietermaritzburg High Court.
The speaker confirmed that he had received a letter from the ABC asking him to remove Mavundla, but could not take any action since another letter opposing the first one came from the party’s secretary-general.
“We referred the matter back to the party for clarity,” said the speaker.
Mavundla is at loggerheads with his national chairperson and the co-founder of the party, Bhungu Gwala, who accused him of running the party like a spaza shop, something Mavundla has denied.
WhatsApp your views on this story to 071 485 7995.
Daily News