ANC expulsions become lifeline for DA in Tlokwe
Mayor says her party will support malcontents in bid to retain control of North West municipality
THE DA in the Tlokwe municipality in Potchefstroom, North West, will support expelled ANC ward councillors in the next byelections as part of its strategy to retain control of the council.
Mayor Annette Combrink said it would not be easy this time for the ANC to reverse her election, as happened in February after intervention from Luthuli House.
She said the DA would not field candidates in wards where the expelled councillors stood.
The ANC this week expelled 14 of its councillors after they joined forces with the DA to remove former mayor Maphetle Maphetle for a second time in seven months. The councillors sided with the DA in protest at the ANC’s failure to act on corruption allegations against him.
Combrink said the expulsions would change the political dynamics in the municipality because the expelled councillors would stand as independent candidates.
“If you have independent councillors who have strong convictions about what is happening in the city council, like these people, one can look at close cooperation after the next by-elections,” she said.
This week, Maphetle dug in his heels, refusing to vacate his mayoral office. The DA has since served legal papers on him and other councillors refusing to vacate office.
Maphetle has asked for a meeting tomorrow to resolve the impasse. The DA said it would attend. “The DA is prepared to do what is necessary to bring immediate stability to the municipality,” the party said.
ANC secretary-general Gwede Mantashe said six of the 14 rebels were proportional representation councillors and eight were ward councillors. The party would replace the former on its list and contest elections in the eight affected wards.
If you have independent councillors with strong convictions about what is happening in the council, one can look at close cooperation
The ANC claims that the 14 councillors were offered positions, money and business deals in exchange for their help in removing Maphetle.
Mantashe said of the councillors: “Their action speaks volumes. Once you hand over power to a party, I can tell you with my eyes closed you are doing what I call a javelin exercise, where you throw the power that side to wait for you and you go over there.”
Combrink said the DA had held talks with the group, but she denied they were offered anything in return for opposing Maphetle. “None of us is in a position to offer anyone money or positions,” she said. He was replaced by Combrink, who was herself removed in February.
The 14 defied a Luthuli House instruction that Maphetle be reinstated following his removal in November last year.
Council speaker Barei Segotso tried to protect Maphetle this week by attempting to postpone the sitting at which he was ousted, but the disgruntled ANC councillors were so determined to remove him that they elected one of their number, Maseapei Madiehe-Teme, as acting speaker on Tuesday.
The ANC had been expecting the 14 to appear before its disciplinary committee on that day for their part in Maphetle’s removal in November. But the defiant group snubbed the provincial disciplinary committee and attended the council sitting. They accused the ANC national working committee of failing to act against Maphetle.
“The [committee] came here last year and said they were going to investigate and come back to us in February,” Madiehe-Teme said. “There were documents and SMSes sent by [Maphetle] that were given to the committee members. We haven’t heard from them since.”
She denied having links with the DA or any other opposition party. “The DA has never helped us fight corruption. I still love the ANC, but I will not campaign for it next year. I will never go to [Julius] Malema. He is as corrupt as my mayor.”
Madiehe-Teme accused the ANC of removing her and the 13 councillors as part of a postMangaung purge, but ANC provincial spokesman Kenny Morolong denied this.
Madiehe-Teme vowed to contest the by-elections as an independent candidate if the ANC confirmed her dismissal.
Mantashe said the party would “immediately” replace the proportional representation councillors and find other candidates to contest the by-elections.
“It is a risk worth taking if we want to reinstate the integrity of the ANC,” he said.
Morolong said the accusations against Maphetle were aimed at tarnishing his image. He confirmed that the ANC planned to reinstate Maphetle as mayor.
On Thursday, a small group protested outside the Potchefstroom library in support of the expelled councillors. They burnt ANC T-shirts and threatened not to vote for it next year. One protester carried a placard that read: “Keep your corrupt ANC, we will remain with our votes.”
Mantashe said it was a confirmation of their decision to leave the party “and we should allow them to move on”.
Public protector Thuli Madonsela said last month she would investigate Maphetle.