Shock as BCM mayor loses vote on MM position

BUFFALO City Metro mayor Xola Pakati seems to have lost his grip on the metro’s council after his preferred candidate for the position of municipal manager lost a council vote.

The Daily Dispatch reported yesterday that the ANC’s DrW B Rubusana region on Sunday night voted in favour of Ncumisa Sdukwana to take over from acting accounting officer Nceba Ncunyana.

But the Dispatch can reveal today that at a closed session, which took more than three hours yesterday, opposition parties in council suggested the name of development planning director Nonceba MbaliMajeng as the most suitable candidate for the position.

And in a surprising turn, some ANC councillors voted with the opposition and Mbali-Majeng won with a comfortable majority of 47 votes against Sidukwana’s 36.

This was after those who did not favour either candidate marched out of the meeting, while others abstained.

Contacted for comment yesterday, the leader of the DA in BCM council, Olwethu Ntame, refused to comment on the matter, saying she would have to wait for the seven-day cooling off period for any item which was on a pink [confidential] paper – with “my apologies”.

But at least three councillors who attended the meeting confirmed the ANC divisions at the meeting.

One said: “It’s all thanks to some of [former regional secretary Pumlani] Mkolo’s supporters in council, who voted with the opposition.

“Some even ran away avoiding to exercise their vote and implement an ANC caucus decision.”

Mkolo and Pakati, who is also the ANC’s WB Rubusana regional chairman, have been involved in a “cold war” over the direction the ANC-led council should take.

All acting directors appointed during Mkolo’s term of office, including Ncunyana, have been booted out of their positions.

Only Noludwe Ncokazi has been seconded to act as a director, while Neo Moerane-Mamase of municipal services, Vuyani Lwana of public safety and Sandile Booi of housing have been shown the door.

When BCM’s former head of planning in council Mkululi Marata, a Mkolo ally, opted to argue against the ANC caucus’s position two months ago, Pakati demoted Marata to a backbencher in council.

It is unclear whether the party’s regional executive committee, which on Sunday declared it was working towards a united region as lobbying for the ANC’s provincial conference intensifies, will act against councillors who walked out or voted with the opposition at yesterday’s heated meeting.

The ANC region declared its support for a third term for all the top five provincial officials led by Phumulo Masualle when the party holds its elective conference in June.

But Mkolo is seen as one of the central figures campaigning to replace Masualle with provincial secretary Oscar Mabuyane.— dispatch.co.za