The officials say they remain councillors until an ANC upper structure says otherwise.
The 15 JS Moroka councillors who were expelled by the ANC on 10 February 2020 have said they remain in their positions until a higher party structure says otherwise.
The officials were stripped of their positions by the Nkangala ANC last month for the role they played in removing mayor Thulare Madileng in October 2018 during a motion brought by the EFF.
But the councillors said they actually appealed the regional decision to expel them and this appeal was made to the province which according to ANC rules “allows any member who is found guilty in a disciplinary process to have 21 days of appeal and/or review” – and in that way they continue to hang on to their positions.
Representative for the 15, Isaac Mahlangu, said the comrades will be faced with only one charge when they face the provincial appeal committee on a date still to be announced.
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Mahlangu said the councillors in Siyabuswa were fighting for a moral course – at a municipality that has failed to implement recommendations issued by atleast 6 investigative bodies which make findings about corruption and maladministration.
Mahlangu said various senior municipal officials had even gone as far as installing boreholes at their private homes using taxpayers money – in the Siyabuswa area that is constantly struck by water shortages.
“Boreholes meant for community were installed at private houses for councillors, politicians and senior municipal officials,” said Mahlangu, adding the councillors also had to deal with issues of nepotism that had become a norm at the municipality.
He said irregular expenditure increased “exponentially” – from R0.00 to R551 million in just 6 years and “no action was taken to avoid or prevent this, it continues without stopping”.
“We will also like to thank all those who have stood with us against the looting and the destruction of Dr. JS Moroka local municipality,” said Mahlangu.
He alleged the troika at the municipality and “the rest of the cohort is hell-bent to capture the municipality”.
The squabbles at the municipality have now found their way to the upcoming ANC provincial conference – with Madileng aligned to contester Speedy Mashilo and his rival Thami Ngwenya aligned to Premier Refilwe Mtshweni-Tsipane.
In a statement issued just after the councillors were expelled on 10 February, the Nkangala ANC said they had to fire the councillors because first of all the council meeting that tried to remove Madileng was illegal.
ANC spokesman Sello Matshoga said they also had to fire the councillors for collaborating with an opposition party.
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The disciplinary committee found that the councillors signed the motion “and actively participated in the council meeting to remove the mayor deployed by the ANC” – collaborating with the EFF, DA, F4SD, APC and AIC.
Matshoga said the actions of the officials have contributed immensely to the distabilisation of the municipality.
“We once again like to apologise to all residents in the municipal area, and wish to assure them that things will soon normalise and the municipality continue delivering services to the community at large,” he said then.
(edited by ZK)
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