Africa-Press – South-Africa. Six former ANC councillors, who colluded with the EFF to elect a mayor in the Nkomazi local municipality, Mpumalanga, won’t be returning to the party, after a decision to terminate their membership was upheld.
The group was expelled from the ANC earlier this year after they voted with EFF councillors to ensure a candidate not selected by the ANC’s national executive committee was elected as mayor of the rural municipality.
The ANC’s national disciplinary committee upheld the province’s decision to terminate the membership of the six councillors.
Johan Mkhatshwa was elected mayor in Nkomazi, despite not being selected by the ANC’s national interview panel.
The panel had recommended Phindile Magagula to serve as the mayor.
Ahead of the 2021 municipal elections, the ANC implemented an interview selection panel for its mayoral candidates.
The addition of the system caused widespread unhappiness from some members.
Mkhatshwa, who had previously held the mayorship in Nkomazi, showed his desire to be elected at a council meeting held in November 2021, shortly after the local elections.
He was supported by five other councillors – Siphiwe Mashele, Mumsie Khoza, Thembekile Mlangeni, Vincent Nyambi and Jacob Mthethwa.
The six were expelled after the ANC Mpumalanga provincial disciplinary committee found they had breached the party’s constitution when they behaved contrary to their membership oaths.
They were also found guilty of bringing the ANC into disrepute.
The group appealed their terminations, but the ANC national disciplinary committee upheld the expulsions.
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In a statement on Tuesday, the ANC in Mpumalanga welcomed the outcome as a clear message that no member of the ANC would be allowed to defy the party’s instructions.
The province said it would recruit new candidates for the vacant council positions.
“It is our considered view that this decision will go a long way in instilling revolutionary discipline in the ANC. Our members should always respect the organisation’s principles, values and mandates.
“The ANC in the province is calling on our members to adhere to organisational discipline to strengthen the organisation. To this end, we are forging ahead with filling the vacancies in the Nkomazi municipality,” the statement read.
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