NFP expels councillors for defying party

Independent Newspapers

The National Freedom Party will celebrate its second anniversary in KwaMashu, north of Durban, this weekend.

Nkandla - Three National Freedom Party councillors in Nkandla have been expelled from the party and axed as councillors for voting favourably with the IFP in an attempt to unseat the local municipality mayor, Zandile Mncadi-Mpanza.

Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs MEC Nomusa Dube’s office confirmed yesterday that Mncadi-Mpanza had been reinstated.

A few months ago IFP and NFP councillors cast a vote of no confidence in Mncadi-Mpa-nza, and voted for deputy mayor and NFP councillor Thokozani Ndlela to take over.

This resulted in a dispute and Dube was asked to intervene.

The councillors’ actions had jeopardised a relationship between the ANC and the NFP in the municipality, the NFP’s secretary-general Nhlanhla Khubisa said.

He said a decision to dismiss Thokozani Ndlela, Nokuthula Magubane and Sophie Buthelezi, was taken by the party’s National Disciplinary Committee.

Khubisa said the Nkandla Municipality had been informed on Friday of the decision.

“The NEC [National Executive Committee] took the decision to expel these members and remove them as councillors for bringing the party into disrepute. That is tantamount to undermining the memorandum of understanding [between the NFP and the ANC],” Khubisa said.

Khubisa said the NFP would identify party members in Nkandla and fill the vacant seats.

Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs department spokesman, Lennox Mabaso, confirmed that Mncadi-Mpanza had been reinstated.

Meanwhile IFP exco member Themba Ntuli, claimed that Councillor Nonhlanhla Nzuza of the IFP had been appointed as Speaker in Nkandla after the death of former Speaker, Bongumenzi Ngcobo.

Mncadi-Mpanza refuted Ntuli’s claims and said ANC councillors staged a walk out at the council meeting.

She said as a result of the ANC walking out of the meeting, there was no quorum as NFP councillors had been fired and 14 councillors were required in the meeting. The IFP has 13 seats, ANC has 11 and NFP has 3.

sihle.mlambo@inl.co.za

Daily News