Dannhauser - A bitter internal fight within the ANC in the Mbuso Kubheka (Amajuba) region in northern KwaZulu-Natal is allegedly behind the reason why the party is yet to name its mayoral candidate for the Dannhauser Local Municipality.
The party was expected to name its candidate to take over from Sibusiso Kunene, the current IFP mayor.
The ANC’s takeover of power is aided by the EFF, Abantu Batho Congress (ABC) and a little-known local political party called CPF.
Previously, the ABC and the CPF were in an alliance with the IFP, helping it to wrestle the municipality from the ANC in November 2021.
In a horse-trading deal, Sibusiso Myaka was elected as the Speaker after the ousting of Xolani Nkosi from the IFP.
However, the move to completely remove the IFP from power hit a snag when a bitter feud erupted within the ranks of the ANC.
IOL was alerted by ANC insiders from the region who attended several meetings of the party that the feud is over who should be the candidate.
Local branches want Mthunzi Mkhumane, the party's chairperson of the Dannhauser sub-region to take over.
However, since he fell out with the regional leadership, the party has punted Bongani Hadebe, an inexperienced first-term councillor.
Another name put forward is that of Mxolisi Kunene, who is favoured by one of the local factions in the sub-region.
“The natural candidate for this here is Mthunzi Mkhumane, he is the leader of the sub-region and he has the experience.
“Not these inexperienced councillors they want to install and later manipulate,” said a regional source to IOL.
On Thursday IOL was informed that the fresh dispute is that there is a fight over employment in political offices of the municipality once they are in charge.
ANC factions in the region and the Dannhauser sub-region are fighting over who should be the Manager in the Office of the Mayor and other positions.
The other faction behind Mkhumane believes that the “leadership” want to field inexperienced councillors so that they can “milk the municipality” and employ their baby mammas.
“‘The fight over the position started when a list of people to be employed next week started circulating.
“Some of the names that appear on the list are of people close to the regional leadership and one of the future employees has a child with one of the ANC councillors in the municipality,” said the ANC source who attended one of the regional meetings.
The regional secretary of the ANC, Chris Mhlophe, did not answer some of the questions but said the IFP will be completely out of power next week Monday.
“The ANC, working with our partners are determined to completely remove the IFP in Dannhauser Local Municipality.
“There is only one position that the IFP currently holds in the Dannhauser Local Municipality, which is the position of the mayor and we can assure you that there will be no IFP mayor on Monday.
“The other questions are not relevant to the work of taking over the municipality from the IFP.
“The ANC leadership does not employ people in municipal offices and I distance the ANC, which I am a Regional Secretary of from such unfounded gossips (sic).
“Please refrain from dragging the ANC into things that have no basis and substance,” Mhlophe said.
sihle.mavuso@inl.co.za
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