A meeting to elect a new Mayor and Speaker of Endumeni has been abandoned this morning
This comes after the DA and EFF were told by their head offices not to attend. Two IFP councillors arrived but then left, meaning there was no quorum for the meeting to continue.
It is alleged that the IFP are squabbling among themselves as to who should fill the posts. There were chaotic scenes as IFP Councillors Mlotshwa and would-be councillor Buthelezi took their places and were joined later by Councillor Carelse.
However, Cllr Carelse then asked for an adjournment to caucus to which the ANC took exception saying he had arrived late and not signed the register.
However, municipal manager, SR Ntuli, allowed the caucus. The gallery was packed with IFP and ANC supporters. Fifteen minutes past but the IFP did not return. The ANC insisted on waiting and their patience paid off as Cllr Carelse came back only to announce that the IFP would be not participating in the meeting any further.
Mr Ntuli postponed the meeting for seven days. The ANC SB Mdluli said the EFF and DA head offices instructed their Councillors (total of three) not to attend as per the IFP’s instructions.
VIDEO here of the gallery after the meeting was abandoned:
“The IFP has internal squabbles. They are in coalition with the DA at MidVaal and call the shots here to the DA. So the DA is part of this mess. Endumeni is collapsing and the coalition does not care about people who live here but listen to people in MidVaal.”
ANC Bambatha regional chairman Lucky Moloi said the situation was unacceptable and called for the MEC to put Endumeni under administration.
FC Bester from the Endumeni Resident’s Association also wants the council to be put under administration immediately and said what was happening is an insult to the residents who pay a fortune in service charges to a municipality that is collapsing.
An IFP source, not wanting to be named, said the party would soon sort out their differences and would soon put Endumeni back on track.
