ANC councillors face the music

17 officials irk party after backing vote for new city boss

SEVENTEEN Buffalo City ANC councillors including the deputy mayor, Zoliswa Matana, will face the music after being found to have voted against an ANC caucus decision.

Matana, longest-serving BCM ANC councillor Sindiswa Gomba, Crosby Kolela, Gwebile Gosani, Ayanda Mapisa and Sindile Toni, were among the 16 ANC councillors who supported opposition parties when they nominated Nonceba Mbali-Majeng to replace Nceba Ncunyana as acting accounting officer at Tuesday’s council meeting.

The 17th councillor, Gideon Norexe, will also face similar charges for abstaining.

The ANC caucus had agreed to appoint Ncumisa Sdukwana as municipal manager, but the vote went in favour of Mbali-Majeng.

On Thursday, ANC’s top five provincial officials, led by Phumulo Masualle, summoned all BCM ANC councillors to a meeting where each one stated his or her case.

Provincial secretary Oscar Mabuyane confirmed yesterday that all those who voted against the caucus decision “we have identified them and they will face disciplinary processes of the ANC”.

The divisions in the ANC caucus started late last year when Mawethu Marata questioned why no one from corporate services had been included in a three-member panel to recruit a permanent city manager. The caucus, lead by mayor Xola Pakati, had previously decided on Pakati, infrastructure and engineering services portfolio chairman Ncedo Kumbaca and former city manager, Gaster Sharpley.

The Dispatch reported last year that Sharpley’s inclusion in the panel was met with heavy resistance from opposition benches and some ANC councillors. As a result, Marata was charged for defying a caucus position. He was also demoted from mayoral committee member to backbencher.

The Dispatch reported earlier in the week that the Dr W B Rubusana regional executive committee (REC) would also be grilled for defying PEC orders that they did not appoint a new municipal manager and instead await an intervention from corporative governance and traditional affairs (Cogta) MEC Fikile Xasa, who was to deploy an official from his department to act as BCM accounting officer.

“We have instructed them to go back and correct all the wrong doing in both the REC and council caucus. We have advised them to approach Cogta for assistance in getting a suitable manager to help them through the transitional period,” Mabuyane added.

Other councillors who voted against the ANC caucus decision were: Marata, Peter Kiki, Ntombekhaya Ntshebe, Mzukisi Relu, Vuyani Peter, Sindiswa Skepe, Nceba Kilmani, Nokuphumla Gamnca, Bongani Dyonase and Mzukisi Relu. — zineg@dispatch.co.za