DA’s Exco seat in Umdoni remains vacant
The Exco vacancy arose earlier this year after former Umdoni DA Caucus Leader, Cllr Edwin Baptie resigned as a councillor to take up a seat on the KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Legislature.
The Democratic Alliance in Umdoni Municipality has through its attorneys, sent a letter of demand to Umdoni’s Acting Municipal Manager, Thabisile Ndlela, for denying the party its Executive Committee (Exco) seat.
The Exco vacancy arose earlier this year after former Umdoni DA Caucus Leader, Cllr Edwin Baptie resigned as a councillor to take up a seat on the KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Legislature.
DA Ugu Constituency Head, Edwin Baptie, said the filling of such a vacancy is regulated under section 43(2) (e) of the Municipal Structures Act, no 117 of 1998 which states that, “in the event of a vacancy arising on the executive committee, the political party or political interest to which the seat was allocated to will, through an authorised representative, appoint a councillor to fill that vacancy”.
The letter gave Ndlela until February 24, to correct her omissions.
Baptie said the demand puts her on terms to administratively implement the appointment that the DA made for a member of the Council’s Exco in November 2022.
“Ndlela has refused to carry out her duty as the Accounting Officer to provide the appointed councillor with meeting notices, place her name on the agenda and implement the necessary changes to her Human Resources records and status,” said Baptie.
Baptie recently told Fever that the municipal manager had not corrected her omission saying that the party’s attorneys will institute urgent legal proceedings to safeguard the party’s rights, and seek an order for punitive costs against her.
Umdoni municipal spokesperson, Sphelele Cele told Fever that the matter is sub-judice, saying that the municipality cannot comment until the close of the current legal process.
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