Outspoken Mnquma official refuses to resign
THE speaker of an Eastern Cape council who blew the lid on troubles within her municipality has been told to resign. She has since told the ANC, her own political party that deployed her to council, that she is not going to quit.
Mnquma municipality council speaker Nomnikelo Magadla was instructed to resign by ANC Amathole regional secretary Teris Ntuthu.
The instruction came weeks after Magadla wrote to the party’s head office in Luthuli House, provincial ANC secretary Oscar Mabuyane and Eastern Cape ANC chairman Phumulo Masualle, who is also premier of the Eastern Cape.
In her letter, Magadla aired her frustrations with ANC councillors in Mnquma, who she said were too lazy to read.
She wrote about how she was forced to flout council rules and other procedures and also accused the ANC of interfering in council matters.
Masualle and Mabuyane did not respond to Magadla.
Instead an ANC “rapid response team” visited the council, although she did not know who had sent it.
ANC national executive committee (NEC) deployee Zizi Kodwa confirmed that he did speak to Magadla.
“I spoke to her but I told her that she needs to deal with those issues through the region. They have a constitutional mandate to look into issues pertaining to local authorities.
“We do not want to take the region’s powers when they are capable of dealing with such issues.”
To Magadla’s shock her Amathole regional boss, Teris Ntuthu, this week instructed her to resign. Magadla, who is also a regional executive committee (REC) member, refused.
“I do not even remember the leadership saying I am being taken to a disciplinary hearing,” she said.
Magadla said she had been accused of causing instability and making the municipality ungovernable.
“I cannot just sleep and wake and next thing I’m told to resign without proper reasons being given.”
ANC councillors have petitioned for a special council meeting to be held tomorrow, when Magadla will be removed.
According to the Municipal Structures Act, the council speaker decides when and where a council meeting must be held. However if a majority of councillors petition the council speaker to call a meeting, s/he must do so.
The petition reads: “… the chief whip of the ANC and of council, councillor Zibuthe Mnqwazi as mandated by the ANC, hereby gives notice that at that meeting will move the motion that the speaker councillor Magadla be removed as the council speaker as per the instruction from the ANC. Please take note that this serves to notify you that on the said council meeting you will be removed as council speaker as you were instructed on the 28th July 2014 by the African National Congress to resign.”
Councillors were made to sign the petition last night.
“Others were out of town and one told me he had received an SMS saying he must be in town so that he can sign the petition. They probably want more people in order to pass the motion,” said a councillor.
Magadla listed a number of grievances in her letter to the provincial and national leadership. These included:
- The troika – mayor, speaker and chief whip – not scheduling meetings as required;
- ANC councillors being unprepared in meetings and being overpowered by the opposition;
- Municipal manager Sindile Tantsi threatening a legal advisor and illegally shuffling staff;
- Senior managers, including Tantsi, not being vetted;
- Tantsi having a pending corruption case against him;
- Caucus meetings not sitting; and
- Standing committees not playing their oversight role.
Ntuthu confirmed that the ANC leadership had asked Magadla to resign from her current position.
“The ANC took the decision after reassessing the state of the municipality. We found that there is a lot of infighting in the council, there’s no flow and that hampers delivery.
“We are intolerant of anything that hampers service delivery.”
Ntuthu accused Magadla of not assisting the vision and intentions of the ANC as the council speaker.
He said the idea of moving Magadla to another portfolio followed the concept of redeployment, which was about “taking from whatever position they are currently filling to another position where we think they can perform better”.
“She will now join the mayoral committee as a member,” he said. “We have yet to decide on the name of the person who will fill the speaker’s position. We will confirm after internal processes have been concluded.”
ANC provincial spokesman Mlibo Qoboshiyane said: “I can confirm the matter has been elevated by the region to the provincial structure in a matter that seeks to establish working relations in that municipality.
“There are various issues that were considered including performance of the municipality and unity.
“The matter now is at a point of being implemented.
“Expectation is that she will work with organisational structures regarding the redeployment.” — abongilem@dispatch.co.za
Speaker fights ANC order
THE speaker of an Eastern Cape council who blew the lid on troubles within her municipality has been told to resign. She has since told the ANC, her own political party that deployed her to council, that she is not going to quit.
Mnquma municipality council speaker Nomnikelo Magadla was instructed to resign by ANC Amathole regional secretary Teris Ntuthu.
The instruction came weeks after Magadla wrote to the party’s head office in Luthuli House, provincial ANC secretary Oscar Mabuyane and Eastern Cape ANC chairman Phumulo Masualle, who is also premier of the Eastern Cape.
In her letter, Magadla aired her frustrations with ANC councillors in Mnquma, who she said were too lazy to read.
She wrote about how she was forced to flout council rules and other procedures and also accused the ANC of interfering in council matters.
Masualle and Mabuyane did not respond to Magadla.
Instead an ANC “rapid response team” visited the council, although she did not know who had sent it.
ANC national executive committee (NEC) deployee Zizi Kodwa confirmed that he did speak to Magadla.
“I spoke to her but I told her that she needs to deal with those issues through the region. They have a constitutional mandate to look into issues pertaining to local authorities.
“We do not want to take the region’s powers when they are capable of dealing with such issues.”
To Magadla’s shock her Amathole regional boss, Teris Ntuthu, this week instructed her to resign. Magadla, who is also a regional executive committee (REC) member, refused.
“I do not even remember the leadership saying I am being taken to a disciplinary hearing,” she said.
Magadla said she had been accused of causing instability and making the municipality ungovernable.
“I cannot just sleep and wake and next thing I’m told to resign without proper reasons being given.”
ANC councillors have petitioned for a special council meeting to be held tomorrow, when Magadla will be removed.
According to the Municipal Structures Act, the council speaker decides when and where a council meeting must be held. However if a majority of councillors petition the council speaker to call a meeting, s/he must do so.
The petition reads: “… the chief whip of the ANC and of council, councillor Zibuthe Mnqwazi as mandated by the ANC, hereby gives notice that at that meeting will move the motion that the speaker councillor Magadla be removed as the council speaker as per the instruction from the ANC. Please take note that this serves to notify you that on the said council meeting you will be removed as council speaker as you were instructed on the 28th July 2014 by the African National Congress to resign.”
Councillors were made to sign the petition last night.
“Others were out of town and one told me he had received an SMS saying he must be in town so that he can sign the petition. They probably want more people in order to pass the motion,” said a councillor.
Magadla listed a number of grievances in her letter to the provincial and national leadership. These included:
Ntuthu confirmed that the ANC leadership had asked Magadla to resign from her current position.
“The ANC took the decision after reassessing the state of the municipality. We found that there is a lot of infighting in the council, there’s no flow and that hampers delivery.
“We are intolerant of anything that hampers service delivery.”
Ntuthu accused Magadla of not assisting the vision and intentions of the ANC as the council speaker.
He said the idea of moving Magadla to another portfolio followed the concept of redeployment, which was about “taking from whatever position they are currently filling to another position where we think they can perform better”.
“She will now join the mayoral committee as a member,” he said. “We have yet to decide on the name of the person who will fill the speaker’s position. We will confirm after internal processes have been concluded.”
ANC provincial spokesman Mlibo Qoboshiyane said: “I can confirm the matter has been elevated by the region to the provincial structure in a matter that seeks to establish working relations in that municipality.
“There are various issues that were considered including performance of the municipality and unity.
“The matter now is at a point of being implemented.
“Expectation is that she will work with organisational structures regarding the redeployment.” — abongilem@dispatch.co.za
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