SIZWE SAMAYENDE and JUSTIN ARENSTEIN, Middelburg | Thursday
AFRICAN National Congress (ANC) councillors in Middelburg, Mpumalanga, have ousted the city’s proposed executive mayor in a clear show of defiance against the party’s national leadership.
The revolt is the most extreme protest yet by disgruntled provincial ANC members who are campaigning against the party’s national executive committee’s (NEC) “undemocratic” decision to appoint all executive mayors, MECs, premiers and other senior office bearers.
ANC provincial representative Jackson Mthembu confirmed that 18 elected Middelburg councillors defied the NEC’s orders to appoint Ida Mahlangu as the city’s new executive mayor and instead re-instated former mayor Ben Mokoena.
“To put it bluntly, our councillors have defied their organisation. We are very unhappy and will have to consult the NEC urgently to decide on appropriate steps,” said Mthembu.
Mthembu said it appeared the ANC’s 31 Middelburg councillors split into opposing factions during the council’s inaugural meeting this week.
“Mahlangu was nominated for the mayoral position by our national leadership, but a group of 18 rebels instead nominated former Middelburg mayor Ben Mokoena and defied warnings that this was irregular,” said Mthembu.
Mahlangu and 12 supporters stormed out of the meeting when the Democratic Alliance’s (DA) 12 councillors, African Christian Democratic Party’s councillor and an independent councillor indicated they would support Mokoena’s nominate.
Mokoena was eventually elected unopposed.
“We know this is a serious step, but we were left with no choice but to defy our national leadership after they failed to consult with party members on the ground and ignored our warnings that local ANC supporters wanted Mokoena and not Mahlangu as mayor,” said one of the rebel ANC councillors.
None of the rebel councillors wanted to comment on record for fear of victimisation.
Mthembu warned that open public defiance of party policy constituted gross misconduct and stressed that the party had internal mechanisms for resolving disputes. – African Eye News Service