Makana Mayor Nomhle Gaga says she is not vying for the position of mayor after this year’s local government elections and that it is premature to be discussing such things.
Makana Mayor Nomhle Gaga says she is not vying for the position of mayor after this year’s local government elections and that it is premature to be discussing such things.
However, as the ANC gears up for its list conference, names of potential candidates to take up the position of Makana Municipality Mayor after the elections have started to surface among local ANC branches, and Gaga’s has been mentioned.
The three names that have surfaced so far have been Gaga, Mayoral Committee member Mabhuti Matyumza and former mayor, Likhaya Ngqezana.
Despite the rumblings about this trio in the branches, the ANC insists it's too early to start discussing possible mayoral candidates at this stage. However, while the candidates play their cards close to their chests, insiders believe that the race for the position has started already.
ANC regional secretary, Scara Njadayi, told Grocott’s Mail that many people believed that when branches nominate people for the Proportional Representative (PR) list, they are nominating mayors, speakers and chief whips. But this was not the case, he said.
“Branches are just nominating their own wish list of people whom they think may be ideal councillors. Once the municipal PR list conference of Makana has happened, the provincial list committee will look at whether the right areas have been prioritised and whether all the core principles and ANC focus areas are fulfilled,” he said.
Njadayi says mayors, speakers and chief whips will be deployed after the elections, once the party knows how many seats they have in Council. The IEC allocates seats per party.
Njadayi says names will be recommended to the provincial deployment committee for Mayor, Chief Whip and Speaker, as well as for mayoral committee members.
“It is premature to discuss mayors now,” Njadayi said.
Matyumza, who is also the ANC’s sub-regional chairperson, is believed to enjoy good support from the branches.
Speaking to Grocott’s Mail on Wednesday about those who would like to see him in the position, Matyumza said only the ANC can make that decision.
“You cannot choose for yourself. The organisation chooses where it wants to deploy you. As a cadre of the movement I can never say ‘no’when the movement is saying to me I must be deployed to a certain position. Irrespective of the position, I must comply,” he said.
Matyumza said this may not necessarily be the mayorship position, “but if they say I must take up a certain position, I must”.
He said he respects the wishes of the people but he also understands how things work.
“It depends entirely on the ANC. If that’s what the branches want, they must lobby and they need to understand the processes of the ANC.”
Matyumza echoed Njadayi's words about discussing the mayorship position at this stage saying, “The secretary [Njadayi] is quite right that we are not at that stage right now.
The process has three phases starting with the BGMs where people were nominated to be candidates and that is followed by public meetings and lastly the list conference.”
Speaking to Grocott’s Mail, Gaga also distanced herself from the mayorship race saying individuals don’t contest the mayorship position. A person has to be elected in the branches as a PR candidate.
Gaga said besides that, mayors are deployed by the province, because only they have the prerogative.
“So I’m not in any race of becoming a mayor. My term ends on the date the elections are pronounced and it ends there,” she said.
Gaga said she has been deployed for the remaining part of the current term.
"The ANC didn't promise me anything after this," she said.
Gaga said the mayorship was for the provincial leadership to decide.
"If they [provincial leadership]want to, after all these processes are done, they can come and put their own person. I want it to be clear that I'm not in a race. I'm just doing the work that I have been asked to do in the time I have been given."
Speaking to Grocott's Mail yesterday Ngqezana said he had been interviewed by a regional newspaper about the matter last month and.
At the time, he had only nominated by only one branch of the ANC to be considered in the list conference of the ANC as a councillor, not as a mayor.
"At this point in time there is no discussion about who is going to be the mayor, That information is being put forward by people who are so desperate in their personal wishes to become the mayor," he said.
"Now who is this person who is harbouring this interest?
"It tells us very clearly that this person is not interested in the unity and cohesion of our organisation and that this person is only in the ANC for a self-aggrandisement agenda to enrich him/herself and this person is actually eyeing the highest office," he said.
"Now he or she is trying to use our names to test the public attitude. I would like to place a caution to this person that the ANC is bigger and older than yourself. Please refrain from these political gimmicks that seek to destabilise the ANC.
"You don't get approached by people to become a mayor," Ngqezana said. "That's not where we are. It is the ANC that approaches its cadres to become mayors."
Ngqezana said he was not aware of any processes aimed at ensuring he becomes the mayor. However, he said he would not turn down an opportunity to serve the ANC.
"Should I be given a privilege of serving in governance at any point in time by the ANC, I will humble myself, dirty my hands, assist the ANC to turn our city around.
"But at this point in time nobody has approached me and I'm not worried about that because I'm not [after positions]."
Ngqezana said having the debate now is also disrespectful to the current mayor.
"It is very disrespectful for any mindless opportunist to go around talking about the mayor whilst the ANC in Makana has got a sitting mayor, [Gaga] and it is the ANC that will evaluate the performance of that mayor.
The ANC is finalising their public meetings before going to the next stage, which is the party's list conference.
Njadayi said they need to finalise two outstanding public meetings first.
Njadayi said Ward 3 and Ward 7 still needed to convene public meetings where potential councillors will face members of the public.
A public meeting scheduled for 18 February in Ward 3 couldn't be concluded after people there wanted to force the meeting to add more names to the candidates' list on the day of the meeting.
The proceedings ended in chaos, with people singing and chanting names of their preferred candidates.
Njadayi said that meeting has been rescheduled to Monday next week.
Njadayi said the Ward 7 meeting had not happened due to internal organisational issues. He said the region as a whole had done pretty well.
"In the region we are left with only four public meetings out of 73," he said.
The Makana list conference will only convene once the remaining two public meetings have been concluded.
anele@grocotts.co.za
