ANC discusses Tlokwe by-election

The North West ANC's provincial executive committee (PEC) is discussing its position on 14 formerly expelled Tlokwe councillors ahead of by-elections next month, ANC deputy secretary general Jessie Duarte said on Monday.

 

There is a by-election on the 18th September. Today [Monday] the PEC... is discussing how to treat the councillors who were expelled and those who have been identified by the community," she told reporters in Johannesburg.

 

"[This is]... because we still go back to the community and say 'who is going to be your councillor?'."

 

Duarte said the by-elections were being discussed by the appropriate structures of the African National Congress."

 

She said the party was confident it would be able to "bring back" the North West to a "solid ANC".

 

 "Clearly there are issues around the mayor of Tlokwe and the ANC's processes will be in place to deal with those issues," she said.

 

 "There have been mistakes made on all sides... and what we are trying to do is to find a way forward that will not only appease people but is the right thing to do."

 

 The ANC's national disciplinary committee (NDC) said on Saturday it had overturned the expulsion of the 14 councillors.

 

The PEC had only charged the councillors who voted in a motion of no confidence against Tlokwe mayor Maphetle Maphetle seven months after the date of the alleged misconduct, committee chairman Derek Hanekom said in a statement.

 

 It should have been done within three months. In July, the 14 councillors were found guilty on four counts of misconduct by the provincial disciplinary committee (PDC) and expelled from the party.

 

The councillors were charged for participating in a motion of no confidence against Maphetle in November last year which resulted in the mayor being replaced by Democratic Alliance councillor Annette Combrink.

 

Maphetle was returned as mayor in February, when he won by 31 votes to Combrink's 21. In July, ANC factions in the municipality passed a second motion of no confidence in Maphetle.

 

 He was again replaced by Combrink -- the first DA mayor in the province. Maphetle lodged an application in the High Court in Pretoria to nullify the council meeting at which he was unseated. The application was dismissed by the court.

 

-Sapa