Durban — The National Freedom Party has called on Police Minister Bheki Cele to place SAPS’s political killings unit on high alert.
A battle is raging between ANC and IFP coalitions in KwaZulu-Natal for control of the hung municipalities.
The NFP leadership warned of bloodshed and urged police to monitor the situation closely as a series of motions of no confidence to remove the IFP from power take place during the next two weeks.
The IFP was likely to lose eight municipalities.
According to NFP secretary Canaan Mdletshe, their plan was to work with the ANC and EFF to capture the Nongoma Local Municipality today (Thursday) through a vote of no confidence and then follow with Zululand District Municipality next week.
Mdletshe said his party had placed its councillors in hiding after receiving threats from the people he called hooligans masquerading as politicians. He said councillors were fearing for their lives and the party was inundated with calls from their families expressing concerns about their safety.
“We fear for our councillors in these hung municipalities. We are kingmakers after the withdrawal of the EFF from the IFP coalitions. Our councillors have received death threats but we will not back down,” said Mdletshe.
In the 45-seat council the IFP got 20, NFP 14, ANC 8, EFF 2 while National People’s Front (NAPF) got 1. With help from EFF and NAPF, the IFP managed to retain the municipality, but with IFP and EFF marriage breaking up, a new coalition formed by NFP, EFF and ANC was likely to take over the municipality on Friday.
Another IFP municipality on the edge was Zululand District Municipality. On Tuesday the IFP managed to replace the EFF deputy mayor with its councillor after the NFP councillor openly defied party and voted with the IFP.
In that municipality the IFP was governing with the help of the EFF after ANC/NFP and IFP/DA coalitions both reached a tie on 18 seats leaving the EFF to decide with its sole seat.
In a media briefing on Monday the IFP said it would only lose one or two municipalities and vowed to keep Zululand and Nongoma at all cost.
A new pact between the ANC and EFF was also likely to help the ANC cement its control in eThekwini as the party tried to ward off its former ally, Philani Mavundla, who was on a mission to remove mayor Mxolisi Kaunda.
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