Mayor hits backs at ANC claims she is unfit to hold office
THE ANC has accused Kouga mayor Elza van Lingen of being unfit to hold office and guilty of skipping crucial meetings.
But Van Lingen has hit back, calling the party devious because she took Mondays off for chemotherapy.
Van Lingen was diagnosed with cancer in 2009 but went into remission. “I am being treated again, but that does not mean I am not able to work,” she said. “They know that I come to meetings.”
Van Lingen is busy with the municipality’s Integrated Development Plan (IDP) meetings in various wards. “I will be in the council meeting on Thursday [tomorrow].
“They must stop with this, we are busy fixing the problems caused by the ANC in this municipality,” she said.
Kouga municipality ANC chief whip Malibongwe Dayimani said Van Lingen’s behaviour in a meeting recently was either prompted by her illness or inexperience.
Dayimani said Van Lingen kept heckling ANC councillors during a municipal debate last month.
“The ANC is not certain as to what prompted her conduct, but we are suspicious that it’s related to her ill health or her lack of experience in local government,” Dayimani said.
The ANC had then asked Van Lingen to apologise during a council meeting that took place last week.
Yesterday, Van Lingen said she was shocked at the ANC’s statement.
“I apologised and they accepted my apology. To come up with these things in the media is very devious.”
But Dayimani said: “The ANC accepted her apology on condition she improve her conduct.
“Failing which we will be compelled to take aggressive measures, including mass actions through the mobilisation of all sector communities across Kouga.”