ANC North West: Five councilors sacked for rejecting unqualified speaker

Five expelled ANC councillors at Mamusa local municipality say the real reason for their expulsions by the North West ANC PEC was for refusing to obey an instruction to accept a councillor who allegedly had no matric and possessed fake tertiary qualifications.

They claim the PEC, or N12 as it is known, wanted them to accept the appointment of Gotsilekgosi Batsi as speaker of the municipality, even though he did not meet the criteria.

The councilors said Batsi misrepresented himself by stating in his CV he had a matric certificate, five diplomas and a doctorate, while he allegedly had none of these.

Non-existent institute

He obtained the diplomas from Timothy Training Institute which was found to be nonexistent. Also, all the certificates were conferred on him on the same day, 24 August 2019.

When the speaker was asked to produce his matric certificate, he said he had misplaced it. The councilors claim Batsi attempted to write and pass matric in 2022 but he failed.

The PEC this week announced the expulsion of Gontse Kock, Tumisho Tlhole, Mitta Chelechele, Tshepo Khwenenyane and Lesego Motlapele, claiming they violated the ANC constitution and rules.

However, the PEC offered no explanation the details of their offences.

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It turned out they were kicked out of the party for refusing to approve Batsi as speaker because they believed it was against ANC policies and guidelines and that undermined the party’s reputation and values.

Batsi allegedly certified all of his false qualifications at the Schweizer-Reneke police station.

“The identification of comrade GJ Batsi as a speaker was a contravention of the [ANC] guidelines because Batsi had misrepresented his qualifications and falsified his CV and thereby misled the ANC North West interim provincial committee and the national executive committee to come to a decision to appoint him as the speaker,” the councilors said during a media briefing.

Requirements

The ANC guidelines required that candidates for mayorship and speakership should have five years’ experience in local government, no evidence of maladministration against them and must have a minimum qualifications of a matric.

Batsi had less than two years experience in local government.

They said they informed the PEC that Batsi had falsified his qualifications, that his misrepresentation constituted a misconduct in terms of the ANC constitution and was a criminal offence under the National Qualifications Framework Act.

The councillors vowed to challenge the expulsion, saying it was part of an attempt by the N12 to undermine President Cyril Ramaphosa’s ANC renewal programme.

The councillors had informed the office of ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula and the party’s national disciplinary committee of the intention to appeal their expulsions.

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