DURBAN - IFP is set to take power from ANC in Mtubatuba municipality by the end of the week, after the speaker finally agreed to call the meeting.
The speaker, Dipuo Ntuli told the Daily News on Saturday that her office was preparing to issue letters of invitation to councillors for a meeting of a motion of no confidence.
This was after the Pietermaritzburg High Court ruled that the council should call a meeting.
The IFP approached the court to force the speaker to call a meeting.
The speaker had earlier ignored IFP’s call for a motion of no confidence against her, deputy mayor and the mayor.
Ntuli said she would call the meeting soon, but did not provide the exact date, saying it would sit before the end of the week.
She said the delay was caused by the absence of staff who had closed for holidays, adding that the council received the court order last week, but the meeting could not sit, because the administrative staff was not there to create the agenda.
IFP provincial chairperson Thami Ntuli said his party was happy that the meeting would finally take place.
He hoped the democratic will of people of Mtubatuba would “finally prevail because IFP together with its coalition partners were the majority in the council”. He said he was expecting the IFP to seize both Mtubatuba and uMkhanyakude after this process, adding he knew it would not be a smooth transition, as his party was forced to go to court to correct the mistake of the first council meeting, He said that if his party’s motion of no confidence succeeded in Mtubatuba, it would start the same process in uMkhanyakude.
The first council meeting after local government elections was marred with drama after IFP councillors walked out.
Although the council appeared to have lost the quorum, it continued and the ANC won all troika positions.
By walking out, the IFP lost an opportunity to select councillors that were going to present the party in uMkhanyakude District.
Daily News