Mtsi takes heat as residents insist ward official must go

BUFFALO City Metro council speaker Alfred Mtsi was yesterday called a liar and his explanation on why a ward committee member was still in office was labelled as “nonsense” and “unacceptable”.

At a meeting yesterday in Ndevana’s ward 49 Mtsi – accompanied by council chief whip Mzwandile Vaaiboom, DA councillor Simphiwe Tsala, ACDP councillor Luke Quse and COPE councillor Nonceba Madikane – met angry residents demanding answers as to why ward committee member Monica Boma had not been removed from the job.

Boma was sworn in as a ward committee member after the 2016 municipal elections. Residents said they had voted for Lulama Monde, not Boma, and they were puzzled as to how she made it onto an apolitical structure meant to be a link between the councillor and residents.

Tempers ran high at the meeting, with residents lashing out at Mtsi.

When he explained that Monde had been ruled out of the job because she had failed to sign an acceptance form for it, the speaker was at the receiving end of the residents’ wrath.

“Last year you said she was ruled out because her identity document copy was not included in the documentation. And now this nonsense you are telling us about a signature is new to us,” said an angry young woman who did not want to give her name when asked by the Daily Dispatch.

Another resident, Zamile Xobiso, said: “This reason you are giving us today about a signature is unacceptable. This is a pain to us. You might take it lightly as leadership but we don’t want Boma as our ward committee member and we will never want her.

“You must tell us if you and the IEC (Independent Electoral Commission) are imposing her on us, so that we can see what we can do about this matter.”

Other residents threatened to take to the streets and burn tyres in demand that the matter be resolved.

However, Vaaiboom warned them against such a move, telling them that it would only make the residents and their children to suffer and not the leaders, as they would not be affected by the destructive protests.

Mtsi said: “From our side Boma won after all the correct procedures were followed by the municipality and we are satisfied there is nothing more we can do. We can’t do a re-vote right now as you wish.

“But what you can do is to write us a letter and lodge a complaint about the conduct of Boma, a vote of no confidence in her. Then we can take it from there to look for a solution.”

Boma’s supporters, Angelinah Kwaza and Thobeka Mkunyana, came out in support of their principal and said they were happy with Mtsi’s explanation that all municipal processes were properly followed and given the nod by the IEC.

Ward councillor Mfundo Bota, who also said he was not working well with Boma, said he would write a letter to the speaker with his grievances.

Out of 10 ward committee members, four have been disputed in the ward. —