Demands to fire absent councillor

Still paid despite non-attendance

THE Buffalo City Metro is yet to take action against an ANC ward councillor who failed to attend four consecutive meetings while enjoying her full salary from the metro.

Earlier this month, Ward 27 councillor Bhelekazi Mabandla was given seven days to respond to a letter from the BCM council speaker Alfred Mtsi to explain why she should not be fired.

Mabandla has not yet responded to the letter.

She last attended a council meeting during the inauguration of councillors in August last year following the local government elections.

Mabandla was in the spotlight after it emerged she was incorrectly registered as a ward candidate leading up to the elections.

Her party instructed her to resign last year but until yesterday the ANC could not confirm whether or not she had stepped down.

She refused to comment on the matter and referred questions to the ANC regional office.

Late last year community residents in her ward protested against her, saying they did not want her as their councillor.

As a result, proportional representative councillor Helen Neale-May stepped in to hold the fort in the ward, which comprises Mzamomhle township, Gonubie North and West and Quenera.

The DA has also called on the council to take action against Mabandla, in a letter addressed to Mtsi.

In trying to establish whether Mabandla had resigned or not, the Dispatch made calls to Mtsi, W B Rubusana regional chairman and BCM mayor Xola Pakati and council chief whip Mzwandile Vaaiboom.

All three said they had not received a response from her.

Speaking to the Dispatch yesterday Mtsi said since last year they had struggled to get hold of Mabandla and only managed to speak to her earlier this month.

“She is still getting paid by the metro as she is still registered under the institution.

“She is supposed to resign straight to BCM and not her party,” Mtsi said.

Pakati said the ANC had instructed Mabandla to resign.

Vaaiboom said he had heard that Mabandla had delivered a letter of resignation to the ANC but the letter had not been forwarded to them in council.

BCM spokesman Sibusiso Cindi said the councillor was asked why she was “scarce” and that she said she had “explained herself to the ANC REC leadership”.

“Subsequent to that, we have written a letter to her asking her why she cannot be recalled due to her absence in council and meetings. We gave her seven days to respond and we are still awaiting her response.” —