ANC caught in seat squeeze

All but three ANC members of Buffalo City Metro’s previous mayoral committee will return when a new council is sworn in on Friday, while OR Tambo district arrangements are still a mystery.

In BCM the ANC was dealt a heavy blow by a drastic decline in proportional representation (PR) councillor seats.

Local economic development portfolio head Pumla Nazo-Makatala, health and safety head Helen Neale-May and planning and development head Zoliswa Matana – who is also council speaker – managed to find their way back to council.

The party’s election celebrations last week in their East London Oxford Street regional offices were in vain as the number of the party’s PR seats plunged from 25 to just 15.

In the previous term, the party had 43 ward councillors and 25 PR councillors.

This time around they have managed to wrest two wards from the DA, increasing their ward councillor tally to 45.

However, the party lost 10 PR seats to opposition parties, leaving the DA with the highest number of PR councillors at 19.

The DA previously had 13 PR councillors.

According to the Independent Electoral Commission’s seat allocation report, the new kids on the local government block, the EFF, will mark their presence in council with eight PR councillor seats in BCM.

The African Independent Congress, which last term had only one PR seat, will now have four.

The remaining seats go to the African Christian Democratic Party, PAC, UDM and COPE – all of whom managed one PR seat each.

The ANC had been pinning its hopes on an increase in PR seat allocation to accommodate some of their senior councillors from the previous term.

However, it is not to be.

Many who had served as senior councillors did not make the cut for the 15 seats allocated to the party as a result of the dwindling proportion of representation.

Former finance portfolio head John Badenhorst, corporate services head Nomfezeko Ngesi, human settlement councillor Nomiky Mgezi, special programmes’ Ayanda Peter, engineering services’ Mthetheleli Sam and community services head Sangweni Matwele are nowhere to be seen.

Another big surprise is the exclusion of veteran councillor and former metro mayor Sakhumzi Caga.

Caga was also the metro’s municipal public accounts committee chairman. He could not be reached yesterday.

Making a comeback in BCM is the metro’s former council speaker Luleka Simon-Ndzele, who had resigned both as council speaker and as an ANC councillor just a few months before the elections.

Simon-Ndzele’s name appears at number two in the PR list, behind only mayor-elect Xola Pakati.

Also surprising is the fate of outgoing metro mayor Alfred Mtsi, who is officially expected to hand over the mayoral chain to Pakati this week. He returns to council at number 14 on the PR list.

Initially his name did not appear on any of the ANC lists in the region, raising speculation that he was to be deployed to the National Assembly.

Also making a return as the party’s PR councillors are veteran BCM politicians Sindiswa Gomba, current chief whip Mzwandile Vaaiboom, Mawethu Marata and Nontsikelelo Peter.

To represent the EFF on the council, regional leader Chumani Matiwane makes an entrance, along with Phindiwe Kaba, Thembinkosi Apleni, Buyelwa Thwalingca, Sabelo Hoyo, Noludwe Batala, Luhle Royi and Nozibele Tshabe.

Matiwane yesterday said his party was “very grateful” to the more than 36000 people who voted for them in the metro and that “because of the confidence they showed ... the forgotten communities of this metro will now have a voice in council”.

lIn OR Tambo, regional bosses remained tight-lipped about who would make it as mayor, but the rumour mill has been in full swing in ruling party circles.

In KSD, ANC sub-regional chairman and former council speaker Dumani Zozo, who topped the PR list, is seen as a favourite to succeed former mayor Nonkoliso Ngqongwa.

In Nyandeni, ANC deputy regional secretary Mesuli Ngqondwana will likely replace Thokozile Sokhanyile who, after serving two terms as the small town’s mayor, has been moved to the district, possibly to be speaker.

In Port St Johns, former council speaker Thandisizwe Khukhula and former chief whip Bulelwa Nokhanda are two names being considered to take over from Phikolomzi Langa.

Ingquza Hill former mayor Pat Mdingi is set to lead the municipality for a second term.

In Mhlontlo, Nompumelelo Dywili is seen as a front-runner to take over from former mayor Mandisa Giyose.

ANC regional secretary Lulama Ngcukayithobi declined to comment, saying only the provincial leadership would make the announcement.

Before the regional deployment committee met, regional chairman Xolile Nkompela said they wanted all councillors to account to their constituencies by visiting all villages.

“Our councillors must stop this mischief of saying they are calling people to a central venue,” Nkompela said. — asandan@dispatch.co.za