Pretoria - The ANC in Ekurhuleni has ordered its members in the metro to mobilise support from other opposition parties in council to dismantle the DA-led administration under mayor Tania Campbell.
The controversial call came as the ANC is still in a deadlock with the EFF – the third largest party in the council – over who should take the reins if a second motion of no confidence against Campbell succeeds again.
Campbell was removed in October last year, but two weeks later she was reinstated, after the ANC and EFF failed to agree on the mayoral position.
The ANC fielded its incumbent regional chairperson Jongizizwe Dlabathi as its mayoral candidate, while the EFF nominated its provincial chairperson Nkululeko Dunga for the same position.
Dunga later withdrew his candidacy and supported the DA in its nomination of Campbell to be re-elected as mayor.
Since November last year, both the ANC and EFF have not made any announcement of a truce, or bid to resolve their differences.
The deadlock in Ekurhuleni is reportedly also causing a strain for the ANC in Joburg – which is awaiting a resolution of the dispute in Ekurhuleni.
The EFF offered to take over Ekurhuleni, and had agreed to allow its members in Joburg to vote alongside the ANC to remove the DA’s Dr Mpho Phalatse as mayor.
But due to the differences between the ANC and EFF, both councils in Ekurhuleni and Joburg would like to be under the control of the DA-led administration.
Despite the stand-off, Ekurhuleni ANC acting regional secretary Moipone Mhlongo insisted that the DA-led administration needed to be removed from the council with urgency.
“The DA-led municipality continues to dishonour the gains of democracy. Poor service delivery has led to a total collapse of service delivery and infrastructure maintenance. The ANC has noted the DA’s sudden appetite of indirectly interfering with tendering and procurement matters.
“The ANC also notes the cries of local entrepreneurs about procurement opportunities that are largely channelled outside the shores of the City, leaving them unable to grow their small businesses,” Mhlongo said.
She said the ANC had directed its caucus to be firm on its role of oversight, scrutiny and accountability, particularly on service delivery, good governance and local economic empowerment, adding that the “unholy coalition led by the DA needs to be dismantled in order to save the people of Ekurhuleni”.
The ANC also announced that Dlabathi would assume both responsibilities of party leader and chief whip in council following the resignation of former mayor and regional chairperson Mzwandile Masina. He made a failed bid to be elected as the ANC’s treasurer-general last month – and has since been elected to the party’s national executive committee (NEC).
Now, the ANC in Ekurhuleni is hoping to convene a regional general council to elect a replacement for Masina and former regional secretary, TK Nciza, who was elected party provincial secretary in July last year.
In another shocking announcement, the ANC Ekurhuleni regional leadership has urged its top brass to prioritise commissions aimed at improving the policies of the governing party including its image in society.
The call came amid ANC secretary general Fikile Mbalula saying his party had concluded discussions of its policy matters during the second leg of its elective conference earlier this month.
Despite Mbalula’s assurances, the Ekurhuleni ANC said they’ve noted with grave concern the insufficient focus on conference commissions.
“Commissions are an integral part of what shapes the policy position of the organisation and they cannot be treated as a by-the-way issue.
“The recently elected NEC must consider re-looking at the conference programme with a view to afford commissions the necessary focus and sufficient time,” Mhlongo said.
The ANC has also urged its members to rally behind the elected ANC NEC leadership.
Pretoria News