How the IFP’s council speaker survived an ANC motion of no confidence

Councillors packed the public gallery at the council meeting held on Thursday in Vryheid, northern KwaZulu-Natal, reports the Vryheid Herald.

The ANC had put forward a motion to remove the IFP’s Michael Khumalo as the speaker of the AbaQulusi council.

Members of the public filled the gallery to capacity before the meeting began and continued to squeeze closer together as they made space for “just one more”.

Most of the people in the gallery had donned IFP regalia for the occasion, and wore frowns of disapproval as they waited for the meeting to begin.

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Grim faces in the gallery wait for the outcome of the voting.

A heavy police presence outside the IFP-DA-EFF-controlled council chambers did little to quell the mounting apprehension of councillors who recalled what had happened the last time this many members of the public showed an interest in a council meeting – when oranges and maas were hurled and tear gas was fired as they tried to flee the chambers.

Before the motion could be tabled or discussed, ANC councillor TZ Nkosi pleaded for everybody in the gallery to be searched first.

“If this does not happen, it puts us at risk of repeating what we have experienced in the past,” said Nkosi. “It leaves us wondering, what is the intention of you, as the honourable speaker, as well as the municipal manager, the mayor and the deputy mayor, in terms of allowing such things to happen once more in this chamber.

Cllr TZ Nkosi expresses fear for his safety.

“The last time this happened, we witnessed a very terrible situation whereby the gallery was brought down. It may happen again. It is a possibility, and we thought you are going to be considerate enough to avoid history repeating itself. We actually don’t believe this should continue before the gallery members are searched. The police have attempted to come in here and alert you that they need to search people because they also know that, if history is repeated, it will be dangerous to all of us here.”

Following a brief adjournment during which the whips of each party discussed Nkosi’s concerns, Khumalo reassured the council that nothing was going to happen and promised that everybody was safe.

ANC whip Maria Mabaso called Khumalo “a dictator” and explained the reason for the motion to have him removed was that he had “arrogantly” refused the councillors’ request to host a council meeting on two different occasions.

ANC whip, Maria Mabaso, puts forward her motion of no confidence in the speaker of AbaQulusi.

“On March 8, a petition was signed by 23 AbaQulusi councillors to convene a meeting. On July 2 another councillors’ petition accompanied with a motion was written to the speaker. He did not honour these calls by the majority of councillors in the council. He is in breach of section 29 (2) of the structures act 117 of 1998,” Mabaso said.

Councillors agreed to vote for Mabaso’s proposal for Khumalo to be removed from his position as speaker by a show of hands.

Mayor Jerry Sibiya votes to keep Cllr Khumalo in the position of speaker.

All 21 ANC councilors voted to have Khumalo removed, while the 23 remaining councillors, comprising an IFP-DA-EFF alliance, voted against him.

Political pundits speculate that the results may have been different if Mabaso had insisted on the voting being done by secret ballot – referring to a speculated possible rift within the IFP.

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