The deputy mayor of Dannhauser local municipality and two other council members were dismissed by the ANC in KwaZulu-Natal for siding with the IFP to remove former speaker Sibusiso Myaka from office in December 2024.
In a decision dated April 23, the provincial disciplinary committee (PDC) decided to fire Busisiwe Langa, Philisiwe Mathebula, and Nomusa Khumalo.
Their charges stemmed from the political turmoil in December, when they backed a motion filed by the IFP to remove Myaka, a member of the Community Freedom Party, which was governing the municipality in coalition with the ANC.
ANC orders disregarded
On multiple occasions, the three council members disregarded the ANC’s orders to stop supporting the motion in the Mbuso Kubheka region.
They also disregarded the party’s directive to vote against the motion to keep Myaka in his position.
Langa was elected deputy mayor in exchange for the IFP ultimately winning the position of speaker of council.
The PDC said that members’ disobedience has become commonplace within the party and that it is time to send a strong message to those who plan to disobey the party that they will face consequences.
“Therefore, the PDC finds that the following will be appropriate sanctions to be imposed on the members charged: [a] charged members, councillor BTD Langa, councillor NP Khumalo, and councillor PM Mathebula, should be expelled from the membership of the African National Congress.
“But the sanction of expulsion be suspended for a period of five years on condition that they are not found guilty of similar offences or acts of misconduct, which include but are not limited to breach of violation of the provisions of rules 25.17.13, 25.17.14, 25.17.3 or any other acts of defiance or refusal to obey an instruction of the leadership of the African National Congress [rule 25.18],” reads the ruling.
Langa gets additional punishment
As an additional punishment, Langa was ordered to step down as deputy mayor and to be summarily expelled from the ANC if she did not.
“A further condition is that the suspension of the charged member, councillor BTD Langa, shall be subject to her resigning as the deputy mayor and a member of the executive committee for Dannhauser local municipality within a period of five days from the date of receipt of the ruling of this provincial disciplinary committee, and she remains as an ordinary councillor.
“Should she refuse to resign, her expulsion should take effect immediately after the end of the five days.”
Khumalo and Mathebula were directed to resign as councillors; if they disobey the instruction, they should be expelled from the ANC as well.
“Should they refuse to resign, their membership should be terminated, and they should be expelled from the ANC.”
It was not yet clear whether they had abided by the ruling or whether they intended to appeal it.
