Council row to reach party brass

AMATHOLE regional ANC leaders have escalated the case of their rebelling Raymond Mhlaba councillors to the provincial party bosses in Calata House, King William’s Town, to handle.

This was after two council meetings could not finalise the appointment of a new municipal manager for the newly established Alice-based local municipality.

Some ANC councillors, including speaker Thozama Njobe, strongly support a candidate who is not being favoured by the party, as she is second best according to results of the interviewing panel.

The Saturday Dispatch reported that the divisions resulted in a fist fight last Thursday, as a result of which police are investigating an assault case filed by ANC councillor Bukelwa Tyhali against Njobe.

The Amathole regional executive committee (REC) discussed a report that had been filed by its council chief whip Anele Ntsangani on the events leading to the alleged assault incident, while the council was in session last Thursday.

This was after Njobe called for an adjournment, as the ANC caucus was split on who should be the accounting officer – Unathi Malinzi or Ncumisa Fololo.

While some wanted the matter to be resolved through a secret ballot, others supported a show of hands.

ANC regional secretary Teris Ntutu confirmed they would be meeting ANC top officials led by provincial chairman Phumulo Masualle by late afternoon yesterday, to get advice on how to handle the caucus divisions.

The bilateral meeting was going to be held after the ANC provincial executive committee’s two-day meeting which started on Sunday, Ntutu said yesterday, while locked in another meeting.

“Yes, we are bringing it [the Raymond Mhlaba council incident] to the attention of the officials,” he added.

When BCM ANC councillors acted in a similar manner earlier this year, 21 councillors were charged for bringing the party into disrepute.

In the BCM case, the “rebels” did not just argue against a caucus decision to appoint a certain accounting officer, they went on to vote against the ANC caucus-preferred candidate.

The leaders were still locked in meetings by the time of writing, making a fresh update on how the ruling party would resolve the impasse impossible. —