Durban — The ANC in KwaZulu-Natal has intervened to stop a ward councillor's resignation in the Umuziwabantu Local Municipality on the lower South Coast.
Ward 8 councillor Anele Phungula had decided to resign, citing problems he was facing in the ward, but after meeting party provincial secretary Bheki Mtolo, Phungula said he might change his mind.
Phungula confirmed to the Daily News that he wanted to resign but that he was asked by the provincial leadership to reconsider his decision. The provincial leadership promised to solve the problems he was facing in the ward. He said that on Friday he met Mtolo, who asked him to reconsider his decision. Phungula said he could not discuss the matter because he wished to respect the party leadership's intervention.
Although Phungula said he would not want to divulge what the problems in his ward were, he said they were related to his relationship with the party branch leadership. He denied that he was joining the IFP as had been speculated.
Umuziwabantu Municipality spokesperson Bruce Jalubane said the speaker’s office had not received any resignation letter.
Mtolo did not want to comment on the councillor's intended resignation.
Should the councillor choose to resign, the municipality will have to hold another by-election. In the ward 11 by-election last week the IFP recorded a landslide victory over the ANC and increased its seats from five to six.
The IFP’s increasing support is a serious threat to the ANC in the hung municipalities.
There were allegations that the IFP was “poaching” or bribing ANC councillors to resign in the hung municipalities to make way for the IFP to run those municipalities following a mooted EFF and ANC coalition in the province.
IFP provincial chairperson Thami Ntuli had previously denied the allegations and challenged the ANC to open a case of bribery against party members if it had such information.
After the resignation of the ANC ward councillor in Mthonjaneni Local Municipality in Melmoth, north of the province, the ANC said it suspected that the councillor had been bribed with R2 million by the IFP. The IFP is currently governing close to 20 municipalities with the assistance of the EFF.
Meanwhile, the council is expected to take a decision on whether to suspend Umuziwabantu municipal manager West Gumede when it sits on Monday.
Gumede has been fingered in a forensic report which found that tender prices had allegedly been inflated. The Daily News reported last week that the report had found that the manager and other officials had allegedly altered specifications without the approval of the engineer, which cost the municipality extra money.
The report recommended action against the manager and the officials.
Daily News