Cape Town – The ANC in uMngeni has denied disrupting the swearing-in ceremony of DA councillors on Friday.
The showing up of suspended municipal manager Thembeka Cibane had forced the DA to go to the Howick Magistrate’s Court to be sworn-in.
The DA has since threatened to go to court on Monday if acting municipal manager Sandile Buthelezi does not show up to preside over the sitting of the council.
But ANC regional coordinator Mandla Zondi said on Saturday they did not sabotage the event of Friday.
He said the ANC was present to witness the swearing-in ceremony.
The party was prepared to work with all parties to provide services to members of the community.
It was in the interests of the ANC to be part of the municipality and pursue its programmes.
Zondi said the party had accepted the fact that they were defeated in the local government elections and have moved on.
They had no time to disrupt the swearing-in ceremony or any work of uMngeni municipality.
Zondi said the ANC was ready to work with all the parties, and denied it disrupted the ceremony.
“Even yesterday I was touched when the senior leaders of the DA were saying the ANC sabotaged the DA inauguration. We were there to witness the inauguration and put our hands on deck to go forward, rendering services to the communities. I think the unfortunate part of the DA, they are scared of leading now. For now we shouldn’t be talking about who has done right or wrong. We are no more on the campaign. We need to sit down as the council and map the way forward, how we are going to service the communities.
“Our aim as the ANC is to service our communities. What can we get out of disrupting a meeting? We are not that type of an organisation that relies on disruptions. Ours, when we are defeated, we accept the defeat and we map the way forward,” he said.
Zondi confirmed that the ANC had a meeting before the event took place.
However, he said the purpose of the meeting was to talk to ANC councillors about their role as they will now be in opposition.
siyabonga.mkhwanazi@inl.co.za
POLITICAL BUREAU