Johan Mkhatshwa’s days are numbered – Muzi Chirwa

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Johan Mkhatshwa's days are numbered - Muzi Chirwa
CRACKING THE WHIP: Brand new ANC Mpumalanga secretary Muzi Chirwa is wasting no time dealing with those who are defying the organisation for their own interests. PICTURE Supplied

He says they will end Mkhatshwa’s road the same way they ended Aggy Mahlalela’s.


Newly elected ANC Mpumalanga secretary Muzi Chirwa has vowed the days of defiant Nkomazi mayor Johan Mkhatshwa are numbered as the new provincial leadership plans to close the net on him.

Mkhatshwa – an ally of deputy president David Mabuza – won as mayor on 23 November 2022 after being voted in by councillors aligned to him despite having lost in the councillor interviews conducted by the ANC’s NEC.

Phindile Magagula came top on the interview but could not be mayor as Mkhatshwa refused to vacate the position.

But Chirwa says all of Mkhatshwa’s tactics will soon end as they are planning to use councillors aligned to them to deliver a motion of no confidence against Mkhatshwa very soon.

On 30 March 2022, the party used councillors aligned to the Focus camp to deliver a motion of no confidence against Msukaligwa mayor Aggy Mahlalela who became mayor on an interim basis following a PR list confusion but refused to vacate the post when the ANC asked her to.

Chirwa told City Press over the weekend that they will “probably” use the “same route” of a motion of no confidence against Mkhatshwa.

“The Nkomazi matter is on the table,” he said.

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The ANC expelled Mkhatshwa last month together with 5 others – speaker Siphiwe Mashele, councillors Jacob Mthethwa, Delile Mlangeni, Mumsy Khoza and Vincent Nyambi after they were hauled into a disciplinary hearing.

But the six protested both the hearing and the expulsion, and said the ANC was not “sober” in its handling of the matter.

They are currently appealing the expulsion but Chirwa says they should vacate their municipal positions.

“Even though they have appealed their expulsion, they cannot continue in their positions,” he told the national weekly.

In Msukaligwa, also speaker Vuyiswa Madini and chief whip Samkelo Buthelezi were removed alongside the mayor with the motion of no confidence on 30 March and were replaced with Shirley Nkosi (acting mayor), Ntombifuthi Nhlaba (acting speaker) and Pretty Sibeko (acting chief whip).

But other councilors say the council sitting that did the motion of no confidence was “illegal” as the speaker cancelled the meeting and it didn’t reach a quorum – allegedly attended by only 16 councilors instead of 20.

(edited by MLM)
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