ANC blasts ABC over bid to oust leaders
THE ANC has hit back at the Abantu Batho Congress (ABC), labelling the party unreliable partners.
Bheki Mtolo, the provincial secretary of the ANC, took the ABC to task after the party said it will vote for the motion to oust the entire political leadership of eThekwini Municipality. EThekwini is led by the ANC in a coalition with a group of smaller parties.
The decision by the ABC represents a rupture in the relationship between it and the ANC. Until this development, the two parties had a coalition agreement.
The ANC leader stated that ABC leader Philani Mavundla is using the motion to try to force a return to the municipality’s top leadership.
Mavundla was a deputy mayor in eThekwini but was removed and he is now the mayor of Umvoti Municipality. In Umvoti it appears that his days are numbered as opposition parties in that council have put forward a separate motion of no confidence against him. The IFP and the ANC in Umvoti are leading that motion.
The Mercury reported yesterday that councillors from the smaller parties in eThekwini have put forward a motion calling for the removal of the exco and
the chief whip of the council, accusing them of failing to do their jobs.
Mtolo said the ABC’s change of tune was not surprising; they were also unreliable as a coalition partner.
“The ABC works like a political prostitute, if I may put it in hardcore terms like that. ABC councillors will support us (in one matter), but not support us (in other matters). It depends in which bed they have slept or whatever short-term interest they are pursuing at that point in time. They have never been our reliable ally,” said Mtolo.
He said he was not concerned by the ABC’s motion to oust the ANC in eThekwini. The party only has two out or more than 200 councillors.
The ANC provincial secretary said Mavundla had written to him and put forward a proposal that the ANC leaders found laughable.
“His proposal was that he is prepared to move from Umvoti Municipality because there are problems and come back to eThekwini. It was on condition that the ANC removed the current deputy mayor, Zandile Myeni (from the NFP), and put Mavundla back in the position,” said Mtolo.
Myeni occupies an ANC seat as part of the coalition agreement the ANC has with other smaller parties in the council.
Mtolo said Mavundla is pushing to dissolve exco in the hope that when it is reconstituted, he would be able to bargain his way back into the structure.
“In his mind … it will open a gap for him. He will bargain with the big parties like the IFP, the DA to compromise and remove) one of their own exco members so they can (place) him.
“Once he is an exco member occupying a seat of another political party like he did with us, then he can bargain to be a deputy mayor.
“The issue is not about service or serving the people of eThekwini, it is about serving Mr Mavundla,” he said.
Mavundla could not been reached for comment by the time of publication.