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KZN ANCYL chairperson Ntokozo Ngcobo who is calling on the party mother body to pull out from the GPU after the IFP ousted ANC mayor Siphile Mdaka in Umkhanyakude district municipality on Friday.
The ANC Youth League in KwaZulu-Natal has called on its mother body to pull out of the government of provincial unity (GPU) after the IFP ousted the ANC mayor in the Umkhanyakude district municipality, Siphile Mdaka, through a vote of no confidence.
The IFP replaced him with its own member, Comfort Khumalo, on Friday.
ANCYL provincial chairperson Ntokozo Ngcobo said they are tired of the IFP trying to bulldoze the ANC.
He accused the IFP and the DA of colluding to sabotage the ANC.
“The ANC needs to pull out of this marriage because it does not work for it,” he said.
Ngcobo said the IFP behave like they won the elections.
He accused the IFP of not respecting the marriage.
The leadership changes in Umkhanyakude came after provincial Cogta MEC Thulasizwe Buthelezi assigned the deputy director-general in the department, Madoda Khathide, to convene a special council meeting on Friday.
Due to fears of violence and disruption, which had happened before, the meeting was not held at the council chambers in Mkuze but convened at Big 5 Hlabisa.
KwaZulu-Natal ANC spokesperson Fanele Sibisi said the conduct of IFP raised serious questions about whether the party remained committed to the GPU or whether it had chosen to secretly pursue alternative political arrangements at the expense of stability and unity in the province.
“The ousting of the ANC had nothing to do with the performance of the municipality, but it is clear that it was a brazen heist which had failed on previous occasions. Central to this crisis is the behaviour of the IFP’s MEC for Cogta Buthelezi. Instead of exercising his constitutional mandate responsibly, MEC Buthelezi has repeatedly abused his office to undermine the ANC in UMkhanyakude District Municipality,” said Sibisi.
He said Buthelezi started “all the shenanigans” with his failed attempt to place Umkhanyakude under administration.
Sibisi said the ANC will urgently consult with its Nokuhamba Nyawo region, as well as provincial and national structures, to map a way forward in the best interests of the people of KwaZulu-Natal.
“The ANC will not allow its integrity to be compromised or its communities destabilised by those who claim unity in public, but practice sabotage in private. If the IFP has abandoned the spirit of unity, it must have the courage to publicly declare so rather than clandestinely pursuing cheap and deceitful manoeuvres,” he said.
KwaZulu-Natal DA deputy leader Sthembiso Ngema said the party backed finance MEC Francois Rodgers’ clean-up of the mess left by the ANC.
“The people of KwaZulu-Natal deserve better than empty promises and rhetoric. While MEC Rodgers is working tirelessly to reduce non-essential spending, ensure essential services are not compromised and root out corruption, the ANC Youth League is busy spreading lies and misinformation,” said Ngema.
He said they are proud of the progress made under his stewardship, from fighting against the systemic closure of Ithala SOC Ltd to working towards the financial independence of the AmaZulu royal household.
“We condemn the ANCYL’s baseless claims that we are working with the IFP to take over municipalities run by the ANC. The people of KwaZulu-Natal know that the DA is committed to serving their interests, not playing petty politics. It’s time for the ANC Youth League to wake up and smell the coffee. The youth of KwaZulu-Natal deserve leaders who will deliver real change, not just empty slogans and struggle songs,” said Ngema.
Attempts to get comment from the IFP were unsuccessful.
TimesLIVE
[SRC] https://www.timeslive.co.za/news/south-africa/2025-10-06-political-tensions-rise-in-kzn-after-ifps-move-to-replace-anc-mayor/
