Four mayors and others in firing line as party gears up for 2016 poll.
AT LEAST four ANC mayors and one council speaker will be axed this week in what could be the biggest shake-up of local government in the Eastern Cape.
The ANC wants to clean up local government as it gears up to contest the local government elections in 2016.
This comes a month after the ANC in Limpopo fired seven of its mayors – four of them reportedly with links to Julius Malema’s Economic Freedom Fighters.
The performance of some Eastern Cape-based mayors was the subject of discussion at the party’s provincial working committee (PWC) meeting at Calata House in King William’s Town, on Monday.
The Dispatch can reveal that under scrutiny at the meeting was the performance of Nelson Mandela Metro’s Benson Fihla, King Sabata Dalindyebo’s (KSD) Nonkoliso Ngqongwa and Mbhashe’s Nonceba Mfecane as well as Mbhashe council speaker Mkhululi Mcotsho.
Also in the firing line was Ngqushwa’s Solomzi Ndwayana.
The future of Ndwayana as political head of the Peddie-based council depends on outcomes of forensic investigations into how the municipality has been run.
ANC provincial secretary Oscar Mabuyane would not be drawn into discussing the names of those facing the axe.
Yesterday he would only confirm there was an imminent reshuffle in at least five Eastern Cape councils.
The ANC’s chopping exercise started a week ago at the Butterworth-based Mnquma council, when the party’s Amathole regional secretary Terice Ntuthu wrote a letter to council speaker Nomnikelo Magadla instructing her to resign.
Ntuthu accused Magadla of being at the centre of factional battles, which were impacting negatively on service delivery, a claim the former speaker denied. Magadla has since been replaced by former chief whip in the council Zibuthe Mnqwazi.
Mabuyane said they were in the process of communicating the decision to the relevant officials.
“In some cases it’s speakers. It cuts across the executives. But from where I’m sitting it won’t make sense to give details of persons implicated in the reshuffle to the media when the regional executive committee and individuals concerned have not been informed about the changes.
“Wait until we communicate the leadership decisions,” Mabuyane said.
Ndwayana, Fihla and Mfecane could not be reached for comment at the time of going to print.
Ngqongwa said the senior structures had not informed her of her pending axing.
“We work very closely with both the province and region. This is news to me.”
The changes follow a number of visits to the province by the ANC’s national working committee two weeks ago.
The national leaders met councillors as well as branch and regional leaders in at least four regions.
The party’s national leaders also spent an entire weekend last month at the troubled Nelson Mandela Metro in Port Elizabeth where the national executive council highlighted serious problems of losing control of the area as reflected in the May general elections.
Mbhashe, Mnquma, KSD and Chris Hani’s Lukhanji local municipality were also identified as problem areas.
The Daily Dispatch understands that following the visits, regional executive committees compiled reports and made recommendations to the provincial office on how the poor state of the municipalities could be remedied. Most of the changes are expected in the Amathole region.
“Other hot spots which were discussed in the provincial executive committee is the issue of Nelson Mandela Metro mayor and that of KSD.
“In PE, the ANC was struggling to get a replacement for ‘Oom Ben’ . But it was a final thing that he and the KSD’s mayor will have to be replaced,” said a source, who was also part of the PEC discussions.
But Nelson Mandela Metro’s regional secretary Zandisile Quphe said he was not aware of any possible reshuffle.
“Our submission to the PEC and our analysis was that our systems were up to scratch. The only challenge was lack of funding for key capital projects.”
Recently the party defused several protests in areas such as Langa township in Uitenhage, Joe Slovo and Motherwell over stalled housing projects.
Quphe confirmed there had been similar protests in Missionvale and Walmer over electricity, as well as poor roads infrastructure in the townships.
“Our view is that the national government must inject more funding so that the council can deliver on these areas. If the leadership has decided to chop and change, it’s their call.
“But from where we sit as the REC we do not see our council as a problem, especially after appointing the municipal manager and filling the director positions.” — zineg@dispatch.co.za
ANC to wield axe in E Cape
AT LEAST four ANC mayors and one council speaker will be axed this week in what could be the biggest shake-up of local government in the Eastern Cape.
The ANC wants to clean up local government as it gears up to contest the local government elections in 2016.
This comes a month after the ANC in Limpopo fired seven of its mayors – four of them reportedly with links to Julius Malema’s Economic Freedom Fighters.
The performance of some Eastern Cape-based mayors was the subject of discussion at the party’s provincial working committee (PWC) meeting at Calata House in King William’s Town, on Monday.
The Dispatch can reveal that under scrutiny at the meeting was the performance of Nelson Mandela Metro’s Benson Fihla, King Sabata Dalindyebo’s (KSD) Nonkoliso Ngqongwa and Mbhashe’s Nonceba Mfecane as well as Mbhashe council speaker Mkhululi Mcotsho.
Also in the firing line was Ngqushwa’s Solomzi Ndwayana.
The future of Ndwayana as political head of the Peddie-based council depends on outcomes of forensic investigations into how the municipality has been run.
ANC provincial secretary Oscar Mabuyane would not be drawn into discussing the names of those facing the axe.
Yesterday he would only confirm there was an imminent reshuffle in at least five Eastern Cape councils.
The ANC’s chopping exercise started a week ago at the Butterworth-based Mnquma council, when the party’s Amathole regional secretary Terice Ntuthu wrote a letter to council speaker Nomnikelo Magadla instructing her to resign.
Ntuthu accused Magadla of being at the centre of factional battles, which were impacting negatively on service delivery, a claim the former speaker denied. Magadla has since been replaced by former chief whip in the council Zibuthe Mnqwazi.
Mabuyane said they were in the process of communicating the decision to the relevant officials.
“In some cases it’s speakers. It cuts across the executives. But from where I’m sitting it won’t make sense to give details of persons implicated in the reshuffle to the media when the regional executive committee and individuals concerned have not been informed about the changes.
“Wait until we communicate the leadership decisions,” Mabuyane said.
Ndwayana, Fihla and Mfecane could not be reached for comment at the time of going to print.
Ngqongwa said the senior structures had not informed her of her pending axing.
“We work very closely with both the province and region. This is news to me.”
The changes follow a number of visits to the province by the ANC’s national working committee two weeks ago.
The national leaders met councillors as well as branch and regional leaders in at least four regions.
The party’s national leaders also spent an entire weekend last month at the troubled Nelson Mandela Metro in Port Elizabeth where the national executive council highlighted serious problems of losing control of the area as reflected in the May general elections.
Mbhashe, Mnquma, KSD and Chris Hani’s Lukhanji local municipality were also identified as problem areas.
The Daily Dispatch understands that following the visits, regional executive committees compiled reports and made recommendations to the provincial office on how the poor state of the municipalities could be remedied. Most of the changes are expected in the Amathole region.
“Other hot spots which were discussed in the provincial executive committee is the issue of Nelson Mandela Metro mayor and that of KSD.
“In PE, the ANC was struggling to get a replacement for ‘Oom Ben’ . But it was a final thing that he and the KSD’s mayor will have to be replaced,” said a source, who was also part of the PEC discussions.
But Nelson Mandela Metro’s regional secretary Zandisile Quphe said he was not aware of any possible reshuffle.
“Our submission to the PEC and our analysis was that our systems were up to scratch. The only challenge was lack of funding for key capital projects.”
Recently the party defused several protests in areas such as Langa township in Uitenhage, Joe Slovo and Motherwell over stalled housing projects.
Quphe confirmed there had been similar protests in Missionvale and Walmer over electricity, as well as poor roads infrastructure in the townships.
“Our view is that the national government must inject more funding so that the council can deliver on these areas. If the leadership has decided to chop and change, it’s their call.
“But from where we sit as the REC we do not see our council as a problem, especially after appointing the municipal manager and filling the director positions.” — zineg@dispatch.co.za
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