Lolo Madonsela
The ANC in AbaQulusi wants the Council Speaker, Michael Khumalo ‘gone’ following his arrest last week Thursday.
Regional Secretary of the ANC in AbaQulusi, Zakes Buthelezi said there had been a lot ‘behind the Speaker’ and promised more was still coming, and therefore believed Khumalo should vacate his seat as his interests ‘were not that of the community of AbaQulusi’.
“We feel that he has to resign as a Ward Councillor and as Speaker. We have been saying this for so long and we will continue to call for his removal. We have seen buildings burning with no fire engine generator to put out these fires; people could have died due to negligence because of him,” said Buthelezi.
Cllr Khumalo, who is an IFP member, was arrested during a Council meeting on allegations that he stole a generator from a municipal fire engine in 2017.
Also read: Speaker folly may have cost lives
He did not deny having the generator at his homestead and claimed it was being stored there after it was used for a roadshow in his ward, as there were no safe government facilities in the area.
“There has been many cases against him; that is why we want him removed from his seat. Council is in recess for the festive season, therefore we cannot call for a seating to voice our views and disappointments on the Speaker and unfortunately we do not have an outright majority. We would have called for an urgent sitting and had the Speaker removed. We are now going to wait for first sitting next year. The crux of the matter is that he must vacate his position; his interests are misplaced, they are not that of the community he is supposed to serve,” added Buthelezi.
Also read: Speaker survives motion of no confidence
The IFP is in coalition with DA and EFF, which gives the party a majority of 22 seats, while the ANC has 21 seats.
This means if the ANC is able to remove Cllr Khumalo, it could possibly lobby members from the coalition parties to help overturn the majority and give the ANC more power.
However, this is not the first time the Speaker faces plans to have him removed from the Council seat.
Khumalo came under fire when a motion of no confidence was tabled against him in November this year, yet he retained his position after council voted against the motion being decided by means of a secret ballot.
This is also not the first time Cllr Khumalo has to defend himself before a magistrate.
In 2017, he was found not guilty after being charged with intimidation and inciting public violence, after stating he would burn the police station and court building down in relation to the murder of a farmer.
In his defence, Cllr Khumalo claimed his words were figurative in meaning, and the case was ultimately dismissed due to a lack of evidence.
A source told Vryheid Herald all the cases which have been ‘popping up against Khumalo’ were simply dirty tactics by the ANC to try and remove the IFP from power.
“Look even at the way the arrest was conducted. They wanted to cause drama, which was unnecessary. Their tactics are cheap, tacky even for a political game. They must just fight a fair fight,” said the source.
Attempts to get in touch with Cllr Khumalo and IFP AbaQulusi spokesperson, Khehla Mkhwanazi to comment on the matter proved fruitless by the time of going to print this week. IFP AbaQulusi Spokesperson Khehla Mkhwanazi had not submitted his response by the time of going to print.
Khumalo will appear again in court in relation to the alleged theft on February 24, 2020.
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