NFP raises alarm in Nongoma ‘over threats by IFP’
THE NFP in Kwazulu-natal has called on the police to be on high alert over a voice recording circulating on social media vowing to remove the Nfp-led coalition in Nongoma and re-install the IFP next week.
In a 38-second voice clip, an unknown man appearing to be talking to women IFP members, says the IFP will be back in power within a week.
“Comrades, take it from me … we will go back to power. This one will stay only one week. This is an IFP municipality; we will not allow it to be ruled by a party with only 4 wards. We cannot be ruled by PR councillors. Do not worry comrades, we are men and if we do not remove them you will have to give us your skirts and take our pants.”
NFP leader Canaan Mdletshe said his party has since established that the man is from Nongoma but has not yet identified him.
He said the man did not say which municipality but it was clear he was referring to the recent take-over by the Nfp-led coalition in Nongoma and that the NFP had won four wards.
He said his party regards this message as threats of a violent take-over of power by the IFP since it has lost a court battle to stay in power in the municipality. There are no other ways for the IFP to come back except by violence means, he added.
“We cannot have a situation where hooligans are allowed to threaten the lives of councillors and nothing is done about it. Municipalities cannot be a place where decisions to eliminate individuals and councillors are taken.
“It’s something that the government should take seriously and do everything possible to eliminate hitmen in municipalities.
“NFP councillors and councillors in general are under siege in Kwazulu-natal and this has to be stopped. We call for our councillors to be protected.
“They must be supplied with high quality protection. It is unacceptable that hooligans and criminals masquerading as leaders should be permitted to create instability by instilling fear in municipal councillors and or officials.”
Last month the Pietermaritzburg High Court ruled that the council meeting of February which elected the NFP’S Mshangane Ndabandaba as mayor, the EFF’S Sabelo Nkosi as deputy mayor and the ANC’S Babongile Sithole as speaker was legal.
The decision paved the way for the removal of the IFP. The party had taken Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs MEC Bongi Sitholemoloi to court, arguing that the council meeting was illegally convened by the MEC.
The IFP refused to vacate office, arguing that since it had appealed against the court ruling it was still in charge. The parties went back to court last week and the court ruled in favour of the MEC that even if the IFP was appealing it should vacate office.
IFP provincial chairperson Thami Ntuli said the party has nothing to do with what was being said in the voice recording. His party has no plans to cause violence in Nongoma or any municipalities recently fallen into the hands of ANC/NFP/EFF coalition, he said. “We are not associated with that voice recording. The IFP is not a party of violence. We have not caused violence in Kwamaphumulo and umvoti municipalities where Cogta assisted the coalition against us to take over so why will we cause violence in Nongoma?”