Scuffles outside Municipality following shock voting in of Mayor Molotshwa
Party sacks Councillor minutes after he is voted in as Mayor
There was pushing and shoving outside the Municipality this afternoon after the IFP’s Ward 3 Councillor, Thabani Molotshwa, broke ranks and was supported by the ANC Councillors to be voted in as Mayor.
Earlier, the ANC’s Lucky Khumalo, beat the IFP’s Callie Carelse 7-6 to be elected Speaker. The vote shows that one member of the DA. EFF and IFP coalition went against their party’s instructions and voted for Councillor Khumalo.
The DA, EFF and ANC Councillors walked out before the Mayor could be elected as new Speaker Khumalo refused to give them time to caucus.
ANC welcomes election of new Mayor
Councillor Molotshwa stayed in the Chamber and with seven Councillors still present, there was a quorum and the meeting carried on although municipal manager, Siyabonga Ntuli, said the procedure was not being followed as a party could only nominate a member of his/her own party to be a member of Executive Committee.
Speaker Khumalo ignored this and the meeting voted in Molotshwa as Mayor. There was much cheering from ANC and IFP supporters in the packed public gallery but some IFP supporters were not happy. It was thought that newly elected Councillor, Siyabonga Ndlovu, of the IFP would be made Mayor.
The ANC then moved to put Mr Ntuli on special leave ‘as he had shown he was partisan’. COGTA’s Lennox Mabaso, who was present, said the meeting had been procedurally correct. In a brief speech, a casually dressed Mayor Mlotshwa said he was looking forward to working with his colleagues to speed up service delivery in the town.
It was later announced by Cllr Ndlovu that Councillor Molotshwa had been sacked by the IFP.
Speaking to the Councillor, the ANC’s Ward 4 Councillor, Hope Xaba, said even if the IFP had fired Molotshwa, it would ‘take time as he is a Ward Councillor and up until then we will be cleaning up the mess in the municipality and going forward for the sake of all people in Endumeni’.
Police and security officials monitored the situation as tempers flared outside as there was plenty of acrimony in the camps split between Cllrs Ndlovu and Molotshwa. Police took a pocket knife from one man in the crowd.
