Johannesburg- The Eastern Cape Cogta MEC Xolile Nqatha said the ANC will remove the Eastern Cape Premier Oscar Mabuyane if he is formally charged.
Nqatha was representing the ANC in the ‘Battle of Manifestos’ against the DA, EFF, UDM and ATM which was hosted by the NGO Afesis-Coplan at East London last night.
He said, “In this term, not less than 10 councillors have been removed by this MEC of the ANC for corrupt activities. We are committed as the ANC to ensuring that there’s accountability. Even the issue of the provincial chair, Oscar Mabuyane is going to be subjected to the very ANC policies. If he gets charged he’s got to step down.”
Nqatha, who is also the Eastern Cape Provincial Secretary of the SACP is the first ANC leader to express a view on Mabuyane matter.
This comes as Mabuyane is set to face-off with the Hawks at Bhisho High Court this coming Tuesday.
The Hawks indicated that they will oppose his application to interdict the implementation of the Public Protector remedial action and are set to argue that their investigation on Mabuyane started long before the Public Protector, Busisiwe Mkhwebane made findings against him.
Meanwhile, opposition parties in the Eastern Cape Legislature have also called for Mabuyane’s head through a motion of no-confidence which is yet to be decided by the Speaker of the Provincial Legislature, Helen Sauls-August.
Battling with opposition parties over the ANC manifesto, Nqatha took a swipe at the DA, whose ward candidate Nora Grose is currently out on bail and faces fraud and money laundering charges, related to Covid-19 relief food parcels and of allegedly diverting funds from the City of Cape Town coffers to a church.
He said, “We are the only party where nobody in their candidate lists is charged criminally and is released on bail.”
The DA’s MP and Buffalo City constituency leader Chantel King said the ANC has no track record to demonstrate despite governing many of the municipalities for years and said the party only knows how to make new promises about what it will do.
She said: “They cannot even show us where they have fared well. 43 more municipalities are about to be added to 111 more failed municipalities under the ANC. If this does not scare you, your children’s future is at stake.”
The UDM deputy president, Nqabayomzi Kwankwa who was representing the party said residents had been casting their nets on the wrong side of the ocean and it is time for a change.
“There are no more fishes where you are throwing your nets, it is time for a change,” he said. Kwankwa said the UDM will form a coalition with other political parties that are seeking to achieve common goals.
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