Africa-Press – South-Africa. The mayor of the uMngeni Municipality, Chris Pappas, said KwaZulu-Natal Premier Nomusa Dube-Ncube was denied permission to host an imbizo at a prominent stadium in the town this coming weekend.
He hosted a press briefing on Wednesday afternoon outlining that Dube-Ncube could not use the Mpophomeni Stadium in the KZN Midlands because her office needed to abide by basic government protocols.
The stadium is booked for a community sports day, but Dube-Ncube insists her imbizo will go ahead on Sunday.
Pappas said Dube-Ncube was welcome to host her imbizo, but not at the stadium.
Pappas’ briefing came after Dube-Ncube took a swipe at him on Tuesday during her own media session at a meeting of poorly-performing KZN municipalities in Durban.
She labelled the move as a “feeble and illegal attempt” by Pappas “to interfere with a government imbizo”.
“These reactions clearly demonstrate a massive lack of understanding of the relationship between spheres as governed by the Constitution.”
She said imbizos are intended to create an opportunity for citizens to “interact directly with government, raise their challenges and obtain reports and updates from government”.
No protocols followed
Pappas hit back, saying officials in the premier’s office initially wrote a letter to the uMngeni municipal manager on 6 July about the event taking place at the stadium on 13 July.
In the same letter, the premier’s staff indicated there would be a planning meeting on 10 July, Pappas said.
That was a concern because the timeframe was too short to plan for thousands that would attend, he said.
Pappas said they were also concerned that Dube-Ncube initially intended to host an imbizo in the middle of the week when most people were not at home.
He said uMngeni then received a second letter on Monday, saying the event was moved to 15 July.
“In terms of our official booking processes and protocol for the safety of the venue and people attending, we have not been informed and the correct protocol has not been followed.”
Pappas added:
He said the premier’s office broke several important protocols.
“We have spheres, not tiers of government, meaning no sphere supersedes another.”
He said that, although police were informed, most of the responsibility was with uMngeni.
“Our venue still has regulations and liabilities that we have to adhere to because, if people get hurt, it comes back to us.”
Pappas said that if anyone attempted to get into the stadium to begin setting up for the event, they would face the might of the law.
He said the only booking they received was from a local ward councillor, who didn’t speak for the premier’s office.
“He is not even the ward councillor in this area. It is irregular for an ordinary councillor to make a booking on behalf of the provincial government and bypass the mayor’s office. The councillor has also not paid for the venue in full.”
Premier still welcome in uMngeni
Pappas said they remain willing to host the premier, but at a different venue.
“To facilitate the premier’s visit, we have offered alternative venues in that area and other conducive areas. It’s important to note the stadium is a municipal and not provincial property.
“By trying to force themselves into a venue they have still not booked, to this day, it is a bullying tactic, which is why we have written so strongly to the premier on a number of occasions.”
Following Pappas’ briefing, Dube-Ncube accused Pappas of turning a government event into “political football”.
She said leaders of all political parties, which were not ANC affiliated, used public facilities in ANC-governed municipalities.
“Councillor Pappas must also be reminded that the ANC is the democratically elected governing party in South Africa and we will not allow him or anyone to subvert democratic outcomes and to balkanise our country back into apartheid-era fiefdoms and bantustans while we are in charge.”
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