An Eastern Cape municipal mayor, two council speakers and an ANC chief whip have been given their marching orders.
This follows a Daily Dispatch report two months ago which revealed that ANC bosses in Calata House had decided that Tsolwana mayor Khayalethu Nqithi and chief whip Noluthando Nqabisa were in the firing line as part of a major shake-up ahead of the 2016 local government elections.
The Dispatch can today reveal that head of ANC deployees in Chris Hani, William Ngozi, summoned Nqithi and Nqabisa as well as several senior councillors in at least four other municipalities to a meeting on Monday last week where they were informed about the provincial executive committee’s (PEC) decision to move them to other positions.
Other senior councillors affected by the reshuffles in Chris Hani region are:
- Lukhanji chief whip Thembisile Joki, who will become a mayoral committee member as well as Lukhanji mayoral committee member Mxolisi Matiwane, who has been demoted and becomes an ordinary councillor;
- Engcobo council speaker Nondumiso Roskruge has been reduced to an ordinary councillor and will be moved to Chris Hani district municipality;
- Emalahleni speaker Dumisa Kalolo has been moved to become mayoral committee member responsible for technical services. The municipality will have a new speaker, Nolitha Lali, mother of controversial ANC Youth League leader Butsha Lali.
- In the Chris Hani district municipality, the entire mayoral committee has been moved around, affecting all five executive council positions.
ANC provincial secretary Oscar Mabuyane confirmed that ANC leaders met all deployees of the affected councils last week.
This is where the councillors were instructed to convene special council meetings to implement the council reshuffles.
Asked what informed the decision to make the changes, Mabuyane said: “There are reports in that regard which confirm all is not well at Tsolwana where the mayor also serves as the speaker. We are also replacing Tsolwana’s chief whip. In Lukhanji, it will be chief whip Thembile Jockie, while in Engcobo and Emalahleni, speakers will be reshuffled.”
One of the affected councillors, Kalolo, also confirmed last Monday’s meeting in the Chris Hani District Municipality offices.
“I will now be serving as a mayoral committee member. ”
Other councillors could not be reached for comment. — zineg@dispatch.co.za
ANC reshuffles the embattled municipalities
This follows a Daily Dispatch report two months ago which revealed that ANC bosses in Calata House had decided that Tsolwana mayor Khayalethu Nqithi and chief whip Noluthando Nqabisa were in the firing line as part of a major shake-up ahead of the 2016 local government elections.
The Dispatch can today reveal that head of ANC deployees in Chris Hani, William Ngozi, summoned Nqithi and Nqabisa as well as several senior councillors in at least four other municipalities to a meeting on Monday last week where they were informed about the provincial executive committee’s (PEC) decision to move them to other positions.
Other senior councillors affected by the reshuffles in Chris Hani region are:
ANC provincial secretary Oscar Mabuyane confirmed that ANC leaders met all deployees of the affected councils last week.
This is where the councillors were instructed to convene special council meetings to implement the council reshuffles.
Asked what informed the decision to make the changes, Mabuyane said: “There are reports in that regard which confirm all is not well at Tsolwana where the mayor also serves as the speaker. We are also replacing Tsolwana’s chief whip. In Lukhanji, it will be chief whip Thembile Jockie, while in Engcobo and Emalahleni, speakers will be reshuffled.”
One of the affected councillors, Kalolo, also confirmed last Monday’s meeting in the Chris Hani District Municipality offices.
“I will now be serving as a mayoral committee member. ”
Other councillors could not be reached for comment. — zineg@dispatch.co.za
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