A political move that has seen a senior councillor axed from Makana Municipality's central leadership has shocked councillors and alarmed the ANC.
A political move that has seen a senior councillor axed from Makana Municipality's central leadership has shocked councillors and alarmed the ANC.
Mayor Zamuxolo Peter announced a reshuffle of the Mayoral Committee – the municipality's executive body – at a special council meeting on Monday 28 October, bringing proceedings to a stunned halt. The meeting was indefinitely adjourned following a "10-minute" ANC caucus that went on for almost an hour.
Improving service-delivery in the municipality was the main reason the Mayor cited for his decision to "reconstitute" his executive. He said five councillors would be working with him, overseeing the five municipal directorates.
However, there were also indications that the reshuffle was related to long-running political tensions between factions of the local ANC.
"The mayoral committee is there to work and advise the mayor, irrespective of who that mayor is…," the Mayor told surprised councillors at Monday's meeting.
The only councillor to be removed completely from his exco position is proportional representation councillor Paul Notyawa.
"I have decided to relieve councillor Paul Notyawa of his duties. He will remain an ordinary councillor," said Peter.
Notyawa was the subject of a protest in May 2011, two days before Zamuxolo Peter was inducted as mayor. Toyi-toying outside the City Hall, the local leadership of Cosatu and the Young Communists League claimed that the selection process which had yielded Peter and Rachel Madinda as Mayor and Speaker respectively was flawed.
They declared they would make Grahamstown ungovernable unless the ANC met its demands and Notyawa was made Mayor.
Notyawa was subsequently embroiled in controversy over the fact that he was working as a labour union's legal adviser, while drawing a R40 000-a-month stipend as a mayoral committee councillor.
Peter said this week's reshuffling had been the outcome of a mid-term evaluation.
"I have decided to reconstitute my mayoral committee and my decision comes after we are almost two-and-a-half-years in Council since 2011. It is to re-enforce the executive and to speed up service delivery," he said.
The ANC's Sara Baartman region has expressed alarm about the move. Secretary of the region, Scara Njadayi, said the party's regional executive committee was awaiting a full report from the local caucus.
Speaking to Grocott's Mail on Wednesday, Njadayi said, "We are yet to receive a report from the chief whip, and we have set up a meeting with the Troika of Makana (the Mayor, Speaker and the Chief Whip) to discuss the state of the institution. We want to know what is the political status concerning Makana and we will be able to comment further after that report.
"The issue of reshuffle never came to us. The mayor is supposed to [consult about such decisions]with the organisation. He is the deployee of the ANC, including all chairpersons of portfolios. The provincial secretary of the ANC is also not aware of this," Njadayi said.
In a media release yesterday the Mayor confirmed the reshuffle.
“As Executive Mayor, I believe that I need to strengthen our political oversight over the municipal administration as well as to ensure that the projects and programmes as encapsulated in our Integrated Development Plan (IDP) are delivered timeously, professionally and in a manner which promotes the principles of quality, excellence, effectiveness and efficiency,” the statement reads.
The statement detailed the re-constituted Executive Mayoral Committee as follows:
- Cllr N Masoma: Chairperson – Corporate & Finance Portfolio Committee (formerly Finance, Administration, Monitoring and Evaluation (FAME);
- Cllr M Tame: Chairperson – Public Safety & Community Services Portfolio Committee;
- Cllr P Ranchhod: Chairperson – Local Economic Development (LED) & Planning Portfolio Committee;
- Cllr M Matyumza: Chairperson – Tourism & Cultural Industries Portfolio Committee
- Cllr N Gaga still remains the Chairperson of the Engineering & infrastructural Services Portfolio Committee.
- The sub-regional ANC youth league has accused the Mayor of undermining the organisation.
"The Mayor defied the region and undermined the processes of the organisation. We as the ex-officio members should have been informed about this decision. He must account to the ANC because he is a deployee of the organisation," said Andile Roji, chairperson of the ANC Youth League in Makana.
DA caucus leader, Les Reynolds said the move had come as a shock to the party. He said and he was not sure whether the mayor was entitled to carry out the reshuffle without consulting Council.
Reynolds expressed particular doubts about the suitability of Piryawaden Ranchhod and Nombulelo Masoma in their new roles.
"[Ranchhod] is a businessman and a developer and that means [as chairperson]he is going to check all zonings and could say yes or no… I have a problem with that," Reynolds said.
He also expressed doubts about Masoma chairing the Finance committee.
"I don't think she has any finance qualification," said Reynolds.
