ANC-NFP alliance in bid to wrestle Zululand district from IFP suffers setback after councillor’s resignation

NFP members campaign for the ANC after failing to register for the the local government elections in KwaMashu, Durban. File Photo: Rogan Ward/Reuters

NFP members campaign for the ANC after failing to register for the the local government elections in KwaMashu, Durban. File Photo: Rogan Ward/Reuters

Published May 26, 2023

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Ulundi – The ANC-NFP alliance in the Zululand district municipality has suffered another setback in its fight to wrest the municipality from the IFP, following the sudden resignation of Councillor Alson Tholomuzi Mdletshe.

The NFP will not be able to replace him after the IEC said it had to first get its house in order before it could take part in elections, replace councillors and MPs and get their funding allocation.

The IEC directive is contained in a letter which was addressed to the party in August 2022 after two factions claimed legitimacy.

Mdletshe, who is from the NFP, recently pulled out of the court case where the alliance is challenging the deployment of Bethuel Nxumalo, another NFP councillor, in the district municipality.

In a letter which was sent to the leadership of the NFP in the region, ANC deployees, the Zululand District Municipality Speaker and other litigants, Mdletshe, who was the 13th applicant in the matter, said he was lured by some of his NFP comrades.

He insisted that he never gave the ANC lawyers the power to include him in the matter then pulled out.

His sudden withdrawal from the case weakened the ANC-NFP case before the Pietermaritzburg High Court as they seek to remove Nxumalo. He is a stumbling block in their bid to take over the municipality.

Regarding the latest matter, Mdletshe resigned in a letter dated 23 May 2023 and which was sent to the municipality.

He said his resignation was effective immediately and cited no reason for throwing in the towel.

The secretary-general of the NFP, Canaan Mdletshe, confirmed that their councillor had resigned, but they are yet to receive the formal letter of resignation.

“We were informed by our district leadership of his resignation.

“Unfortunately we have not seen or received the letter.

“However, we wish him well on his new endeavours though he clearly sold out NFP members who voted him a councillor,” he said.

sihle.mavuso@inl.co.za

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