Supporters of embattled Xolani Tseletsele, the suspended mayor of Kopanong local municipality in the Free State, claim the video in which he was recorded insulting a resident was entrapment.
At stake, according to Tseletsele’s defenders, is the control of the pending disbursement of R600-million in disaster funds that the municipality is due to receive following the tragic incident last year in Jagersfontein. The walls of a local mine tailings dam broke, sending toxic mud crashing into nearby houses, killing one person, injuring many others, and killing hundreds of animals.
The second leg of the Tseletsele gambit is that ANC secretary general Fikile Mbalula acted harshly in suspending him when other mayors and ANC leaders in the province have committed similar or even worse misdemeanours.
Contacted for comment, Mbalula said: “I don’t know any of the things you are asking me about.”
In a video that went viral, Tseletsele is seen and heard insulting and threatening Jagersfontein resident Kalebe Kalebe over a social media post, but his defenders allege it was a setup to get rid of him.
Insiders within the ANC told Sunday World that Tseletsele, who is also the provincial chairperson of the ANC youth league in the Free State, was set up by a political nemesis within the province, using Kelebe as bait.
“The whole thing was engineered to deal with the boy, as he is vocal. He was not going to allow any greedy politicians in the province to get their hands on the funds that are going to be allocated to Kopanong.
“They got Kalebe to instigate Xolani, knowing that Xolani was a person of emotions, so that they could put in their own puppet in to get closer to the funds,” said an insider in the ANC PEC.
ANC regional chairperson Edgar Legoale said: “I strongly disagree with the decision made by the ANC and Fikile Mbalula. I find it unfair the suspension of Tseletsele has already influenced the outcome of his disciplinary proceedings.
“This hinders his chances of receiving a fair process. It is clear Mbalula wants him gone.
“It is becoming clear that the ANC does not prioritise the well-being of its youth.
“Fikile Mbalula’s statement of recalling Tseletsele was inappropriate, as the ANC should have first consulted Tseletsele to hear his side of the story.
“This suspension is particularly concerning because of the ANC’s lack of consistency. We have the mayor of Moqhaka, who publicly referred to people as ‘kaffirs’. Similarly, during the recent ANC community meeting in Wepener by-elections, Kenalemang Phukuntsi, a Free State PEC member and mayor of Tswelopele, engaged in a heated argument with a Wepener community member, using derogatory language, and said to the community: “Hey wena skaba ntlwaela, haka o taisa” (Hey you, don’t mess with me, I never get you drunk)“.
It is understood that Tseletsele, who is also close to the provincial secretary, Dihelele Motsoeneng, is viewed as a threat by some of the provincial leaders, who believe that he is climbing the ranks at the speed of light.
Tseletsele refused to comment when asked about the alleged plot against him.
