Mogale City six may appeal against EFF expulsion

THE six Economic Freedom Fighters councillors fired by the party in the Mogale City municipality over the weekend are considering appealing against their expulsion.

This was revealed by the municipality’s EFF chief whip, Smanga Mkhumbeni‚ who said there was no basis for their expulsion.

“We are meeting with our legal team so that we can engage as to what will be our way forward regarding the expulsion itself,” Mkhumbeni said.

“We are considering a lot of options but we are still going to check whether the expulsion itself is lawful or unlawful.”

Mkhumbeni was expelled by the red berets’ executives on Saturday along with Eric Baloyi‚ Nomonde Nkatu‚ Nhlanhla Shilubane‚ Lebogang Modisane and Eddie Motsisi after they allegedly voted with the ANC in favour of the municipality’s budget on July 11.

The EFF said the six had defied the organisation by voting with the ANC‚ a claim that Mkhumbeni has denied.

“We never voted with the ANC‚ there was no vote in that meeting,” he said yesterday.

“We attended the council meeting on July 11 and part of the agenda items that were to be discussed was the budget [for the municipality].

“The ANC tabled their budget and upon them doing so‚ we made 20 demands as the EFF.

“We said to them if the budget can incorporate these demands‚ then we don’t have a problem because those 20 demands are the exact challenges that are faced by our black masses in Mogale City.

“The [ANC] mayor [Patrick Lipudi] accepted that and said in fact those issues should be attended to and incorporated into the budget.”

Following this decision‚ the red berets vowed to take disciplinary measures against them.

Mkhumbeni questioned why they were charged and fired from the party if they claimed to be a movement that represents the poorest of poor.

“We raised issues relating to evictions happening in Mogale City on a weekly basis where our black masses are being evicted by white people.

“So we wanted the budget to talk to the land availability‚ so that we can be able to assist those people who are being evicted in the city.

“We have a challenge of informal squatter camps, so we approved the budget so that we can address that issue.”