ANC Buffalo City leaders were “chased” out of a council caucus on Tuesday as the battle for control of the Dr WB Rubusana region rages on.
Party regional secretary Antonio Carels and treasurer Malizo Phuthu attended the meeting, which was supposed to give guidance for the metro’s last council meeting for 2018.
But they were told to leave the room and return only once there were representatives from the party’s provincial executive committee (PEC) present.
Phuthu and Carels had just addressed the metro’s troika when they decided to go to the ANC council caucus on Tuesday, but were told they were not welcome.
Provincial secretary Lulama Ngcukayitobi downplayed the incident, saying a caucus could “invite PEC deployees and RECs as it deems fit because that meeting is for those caucus members”.
“They only decided to invite the PEC or REC when there are issues they need guidance on. That’s how caucuses are run,” Ngcukayitobi said.
The incident occurs a few weeks after the ANC’s national executive committee (NEC) endorsed the Pumlani Mkolo-led executive.
The Dispatch reported on the same NEC’s decision to ask Mkolo to step aside, and not address any gathering on behalf of the ANC until he is cleared of the criminal charges he faces for his alleged involvement in the Mandela funeral scandal.
Factional fights continue to divide the party in the region.
The rift grew wider two weeks ago when BCM mayor Xola Pakati – who lost the chair to Mkolo at the conference – announced that his ally Sindile Toni would be the new engineering services head.
The Rubusana REC wanted the party to field Mawethu Marata or deputy mayor Zoleka Matana for the pivotal portfolio.
Toni lost the deputy chair post to Marata when the region elected leaders in September.
The PEC rejected the REC’s suggestion of Marata or Matana, and instead assigned Marata as council chief whip.
Carels refused to comment, saying: “Anything which happened at the caucus is an ANC matter and will be reported in detail to the provincial secretary.”..