The Chief Whip of the majority party in the council, Vumile Nikelo, who is under fire from opposition parties, including the EFF and the DA, amongst others, says there is nothing untoward regarding the letter he sent to Stefanie Lockman-Naidoo.

He wrote a letter to Lockman-Naidoo, allegedly informing her that no council sitting should convene following a certain ANC meeting. In this letter addressed to Lockman-Naidoo, Nikelo said in the aftermath of the current developments - referring to the intent to expel eight ANC councillors, including Lockman-Naidoo - the Interim Regional Committee (IRC) decided that, through him, no council sitting should convene.

In his defence, Nikelo says he was merely seeking clarity from Lockman-Naidoo, as both are ANC members, about the latest development involving the affected councillors in council but did not instruct the speaker not to hold any council sitting.

OFM News previously reported that these opposition parties are up in arms and critical of the majority party in the council, alleging the ANC undermined the work of the council.

ALSO READ: Opposition accuses ANC of undermining services in Mangaung

Nikelo’s letter to Lockman-Naidoo follows after the Disciplinary Committee of the ANC’s Interim Regional Committee (IRC) in the Mangaung region allegedly issued letters with the intention to expel Lockman-Naidoo and Patrick Monyakoane, amongst others.

According to the ANC’s IRC spokesperson, Ncamisa Ngxangisa, they were served with these letters because they allegedly voted with opposition members and defied party orders in council. This is the second time the ANC announces action against Lockman-Naidoo and Monyakoane in a space of six months.

However, a letter bearing the signature of the ANC IPC member and coordinator, Paseka Nompondo, addressed to the Mangaung IRC’s coordinator, Sabelo Pitso, has since emerged. In it, Nompondo reminds the coordinator of the IRC that the matter involving the affected councillors was dealt with by the ANC’s National Executive Committee (NEC) deployees in the province. He adds that the decision or intention to expel these councillors is null and void.

The latest development in the metro council comes after a slew of alleged infighting within the ANC camp at the metro, with members aligned to the so-called C17 and Radical Economic Transformation (RET) at loggerheads with each other. This even led to the opposition calling for the dissolution of the already troubled council.

ALSO READ: EFF scathing as it calls for dissolution of Mangaung Council

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