The ANC youth league in Buffalo City wants mayor Xola Pakati to fire two of his mayoral executive committee members – Xolani Witbooi and Amanda Myute – “for arrogance”.
Witbooi is currently serving in Pakati’s executive as special programmes head, while Myute is head of public safety.
The Dr WB Rubusana regional chairperson Luvo John made the announcement at a press conference held at the party’s regional offices in Oxford Street on Thursday.
John claimed Witbooi was central to the failure by the municipality to bid for the Netball World Cup (NWC), and that this was tantamount to poor performance.
The Daily Dispatch reported two months ago that BCM lost an opportunity to bid for hosting the World Cup to the City of Cape Town, after it failed to honour an agreement to support Netball South Africa’s proposal to host the 2023 NWC.
The tournament would have had major economic spin-offs for the city and the region as the 16 best international netball nations from Africa, Asia, America, Europe and Oceania would have descended on the city if the bid was successful.
Witbooi and Myute were ANCYL regional leaders when they were handpicked as part of the ANC’s policy of “generational mix” when it deploys cadres to government positions.
John accused Myute of refusing to account to the YL regional executive committee.
“Since assuming office, we have witnessed an unfathomable level of arrogance and complete disregard for the youth constituency by our deployees and mayoral committee members,” he said.
But insiders view this as just a campaign to purge all those who supported Pakati to serve a second term as Rubusana regional chairperson. This was after Pumlani Mkolo defeated Pakati with 120 against 107 votes for the top position.
Both Witbooi and Myute were central in the campaign to retain Pakati as regional chair. This was despite the John-led ANCYL regional executive conference announcing at a press conference late last month that they want Mkolo to lead Rubusana.
Pakati’s supporters left the conference venue after the elections commission announced Mkolo as new chairperson.
The briefing also includes details of how Myute had allegedly told the regional leadership that she was never deployed by the youth league but by the ANC Provincial Executive Council.
“Comrades should not be so [obsessed with] power that they believe themselves to be the only ones capable of leading,” said John.
The campaign to oust the two has now spread to social media under #IzituloMazibuye (return the seats).
The youth league also committed to heed the call made by Mkolo when he delivered his maiden speech as regional chairperson last Saturday, to organise a rally at Sisa Dukashe stadium where ANC supporters in BCM can fill up the stadium to counter the EFF’s successful fifth anniversary rally held at the same stadium in July.
John said they were in agreement with Mkolo’s call to outclass the EFF.
“In order to ensure we remain relevant to the youth constituency, we must represent their interests,” said John.
Neither Witbooi nor Myute would comment when approached by the Daily Dispatch...