Uproar over Mnquma mayor

Stakeholders want Bikitsha removed

ONLY a few days after being inaugurated as Mnquma municipality mayor, resistance to Thobeka Bikitsha’s tenure is already brewing among some community members.

Stakeholders in Mnquma, including traditional leaders and the National African Federated Chamber of Commerce and Industry, have written to the ANC pleading with them to remove the newly-elected mayor.

Bikitsha could not be reached, while her Mnquma spokesman Loyiso Mpalantshane, referred queries to the ANC.

The group claims Bikitsha failed in her duties as ward councillor last term, and it was wrong that she was now “promoted” to mayor. The Saturday Dispatch has seen a letter to provincial ANC secretary Oscar Mabuyane and his national counterpart Gwede Mantashe, signed by Nafcoc president in Mnquma, Zukile Mbelani, in which the group said they preferred ANC MP Daphney Qikani to Bikitsha.

Mbelani yesterday confirmed writing the letter to the party’s leadership, but said they had so far not received a response.

He said before the recent elections, various formations in Mnquma had been asked by the ANC sub-region to recommend three names for the mayorship.

He said they had recommended Qikana as their top preference, then former Mnquma speaker Nomnikelo Magadla and a certain Mrs Qaba.

To their shock Bikitsha, “the failed councillor of Ward 1 for last term”, was deployed as mayor.

In the letter, Mbelani said this was bad news for business in the area, adding the situation would worsen under her mayorship.

“We were approached by the ANC sub-region as Nafcoc to submit names of community members whom we think could be mayors.”

He heard that 28 ANC branches out of 31 also endorsed Qikani, “while traditional leaders and religious fraternity, also endorsed her”.

“We thought that the needs of the Mnquma community would be listened to and that the response to their needs would be positive.

“We instead received shocking news that our choice was not endorsed by our beloved ANC, and instead it appointed Bikitsha, a failed ward councillor from the last term.”

Mbelani said the situation in Mnquma was now “very tense” and that “as business we are worried about this as it may destroy our businesses further”.

The Saturday Dispatch has also seen letters from the Butterworth Chamber of Business, Mnquma Amalgamated Stakeholders Association and Fingo Regional Authority, pledging support for Qikani.

Qikani, Mantashe and Mabuyane could not be reached at the time of writing yesterday.

Amathole ANC regional secretary Teris Ntuthu said he was not aware of a call for Bikitsha’s removal.

He said however it was not up to people outside the ANC to decide who became mayor.

“The ANC has its own deployment policy and does not take recommendations from business or anyone outside ANC structures on who gets the mayorship.

“We recommended three names to the province which then chose Bikitsha, a decision we fully support,” Ntuthu said.

He said allowing business to choose ANC mayors would be a dangerous trend which could lead to a crisis.

Business would “dictate who gets the tenders in that particular council. That cannot be right”. — asandan@dispatch.co.za