KwaDukuza municipality Speaker Dolly Govender. Picture: Sphelelo Ngobese
Durban — Dramatic events are unfolding in the KwaDukuza Local Municipality, where the ANC recalled Mayor Lindi Nhaca, who is refusing to leave, placing the municipality in a bind.
This political impasse has also sparked a motion of no confidence against the Speaker, Dolly Govender, filed by the Democratic Alliance (DA) on Monday, citing her failure to conduct council affairs “impartially”.
“Our efforts to request a sitting of Special Council and clarification on the chairing of Mayoral Imbizos have both been vehemently ignored by the Speaker of Council, Councillor Govender and municipal manager, Nhlanhla Mdakane. The speaker’s role in a municipality is key to ensuring oversight, accountability, integrity and the effective running of council meetings,” said the DA’s Privi Makhan.
Amid the pending motion of no confidence against Govender, Makhan said: “We call on all opposition parties in the KwaDukuza council to vote with their conscience and dismantle the ANC.”
Speaking to the Daily News she said if all opposition parties in the 59-member council banded together, they could topple the ANC.
Of the 59 council seats, the ANC has 29 and is governed with the help of the AIC and the ATM, who have one seat each.
The DA, which is leading the charge against Govender, has nine seats, the Independent Alliance and ActionSA have five seats apiece, the IFP four seats, the EFF four seats, and the ACDP with one seat.
Should the opposition unite, they could theoretically outnumber the ANC, achieving a majority of 30 seats to the ANC's 29.
“This motion will set a trajectory for the removal of the ANC in the KwaDukuza council, who continue to govern with arrogance through their illicit alliances. The people of KwaDukuza deserve better than a political party that continues to plunder public funds,” stated Makhan.
The Daily News called Govender, who declined to comment and directed the newspaper to contact the spokesperson of the municipality Sifiso Zulu.
Amid the DA’s call for Govender’s removal, Zulu said the speaker’s hands are “tied”.
“The speaker can’t do anything now, because the ANC has not formally recalled the mayor by writing to the municipal manager. And the mayor herself has not resigned from her position, which is making this tricky,” said Zulu.
According to the procedure, Zulu said the ANC must write to the municipal manager, informing him that the party had recalled the mayor.
In turn, the municipal manager would inform the Independent Electoral Commission of SA (IEC) so that a vacancy is declared.
Consequently, this would allow the council to convene a meeting to elect a mayor.
Zulu said the impasse was of concern to them because the municipality is unable to render service to communities.
“This is a very concerning situation for us because we can’t do anything without the mayor being present,” said Zulu.
When the ANC recalled Nhaca last month, she refused to go, instead writing to the party’s secretary-general, Fikile Mbalula, pleading for his intervention.
The Women’s League in the General Gizenga Mpanga region rushed to her defence, drawing a line against her detractors.
During a media briefing last month, the league’s regional spokesperson Phindile Mdanda said there was a deliberate ploy to “bury” Nhaca politically hatched by her political opponents in the ANC.
ANC spokesperson Mafika Mndebele told the Daily News that Nhaca has been suspended from the ANC, adding that she would be hauled to a disciplinary hearing if she defies the provincial leadership.
“We have recalled the mayor. If she does not tender her resignation, we will put a motion of no-confidence against her. If she is defying us, we will put a motion against her,” he said.
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