Mpumalanga Independent Electoral Commission explained their stance on the Azanian Residents Party (ARP) debacle in the new council of the Govan Mbeki Municipality.
The IEC said that ARP’s general secretary wrote a letter on November 10, 2021, to all its party members informing them that the party has suspended Mr John Mahlangu, their councillor candidate, from the party’s activities and forwarded the same letter to the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC).
“The provincial offices of the IEC responded to Mr Phillip Mahlangu (ARP general secretary) on November 15, informing him that the letter sent, is meant for ARP members and not the IEC, as we don’t form part to any internal party matters.
“Secondly, no party list can be amended or changed between submission of the candidate nomination and the first council sitting, and ARP can only replace a candidate after the first council meeting. So it was with Mr John Mahlangu who can be replaced after the first council meeting.”
Mr Thabduxolo Chembeni, senior outreach officer of the IEC in Mpumalanga said the IEC received a letter from Ms Lizzy Tshabalala, Govan Mbeki Municipality’s acting manager on November 29. The letter declared a vacancy for a proportional councillor.
“The IEC national offices wrote back on December 3, confirming the filling of the vacancy by replacing Mr John Mahlangu with Mr Simanga Nkosi,” said Mr Chembeni.
He said the IEC denies any allegations of being biased in the matters of ARP.
“We don’t take part in internal party politics. Our participation in matters of replacing a councillor begins when a vacancy has been declared by the municipal manager of a municipality.
“We also do not sit in council meetings, except on the first council meeting to facilitate the election of a speaker and proportional councillors to the District Municipality and end there, the rest is the speaker’s responsibility until a mayor is elected,” concluded Mr Chembeni.
The mayor, Mr Nhlakanipho Zuma, told councillors that the council doesn’t have jurisdiction over matters relating to the IEC and said the mistake they made was to subject themselves to party politics.
He also said as the municipality, they only respect what they were given by the IEC which is contrary to the IEC statement.
Mr Mahlangu said the council cannot take decisions on behalf of his party.
He accused the speaker, as well as the acting municipal manager, Ms Lizzy Tshabalala, and Mr Nhlakanipho Zuma, mayor, of sowing division within his party.
He also claimed the motive behind his removal from the council was because he doesn’t vote with ANC councillors when decisions need to be taken by the council. He always voted with other parties.
Mr Mahlangu told the council that he received a letter from the acting municipal manager that says he is being removed and replaced.
He also accused the mayor of promising Ms Tshabalala the municipal manager’s position if she can remove Mr him from the council.
Mr Mahlangu threatened to take the matter to court.
The speaker called law enforcers to remove Mr Mahlangu from the council chamber.
He was forcefully removed and his council laptop was forcefully taken from him.
Some political parties were not impressed with what has happened in the council meeting.
They warned the speaker to be careful of some decisions from the local IEC office.
Councillors wanted to see all letters that are related to Mr Mahlangu’s removal from the council.
Mr Zuma directed the councillors to the IEC offices.
