This follows the surprise election of a DA councillor as the speaker of the embattled municipality. On Wednesday, Maryke Davies defeated ANC speaker candidate and Mangaung ANC regional chairperson Lawrence Mathae.

ALSO READ: DA councillor elected as speaker of Mangaung

In a communique to the councillors, the new speaker Davies advised them that as a result of threats and intimidation at the council, the sitting scheduled for Thursday will be cancelled.

Davies said to calm the current prevailing situation, a new date, time and venue will be determined and a new agenda will be issued to all councillors once calm and stability are restored.

“We cancelled the council meeting because we received messages yesterday of threats to the lives of councillors and officials ahead of today’s council meeting, that there was going to be a protest boycott and all of those kinds of things. So just for the safety of everybody, we decided to cancel today's meeting,” Davies added.

On Wednesday, 12 ANC councillors voted with the DA and EFF to topple the ANC’s majority from reclaiming the position of speaker of the council. This after the former speaker, who was allegedly been recalled by her own party, resigned this month.

ALSO READ – Breaking News: Mangaung speaker resigns

OFM News understands the election of Davies as the speaker was a long-term plan with discussions across minority and opposition groups in the council taking place since January 2023. The opposition in Mangaung wants to have a minority government and topple the liberation movement, the ANC, which is currently riddled with factions from within its own ranks.

It’s believed that a clique of councillors that voted with opposition parties were angered by the suspension of former Mangaung Metro Member of the Mayoral Committee (MMC), Patrick Monyakoane, and the chairperson of the Mangaung Regional Committee's parallel structure.

ANC’s Provincial Executive Committee (PEC) Provincial Secretary, Polediso Motsoeneng, earlier announced the suspension of Monyakoane and cited a 2012 case where Monyakoane was charged with assault.

In the letter to Monyakoane, the letter read: “The adopted guidelines of the ANC provide that if a member of the ANC has been indicted in a court of law, that member should step aside voluntarily and if that member refuses to step aside that member should be suspended from the ANC pending the finalisation of his or her court case”.

“It is common cause that you are indicted in a court of law. You have repeatedly refused to step aside, as per the guidelines, despite requests for you to do so.

“In the light thereof, please be advised that you are hereby suspended with immediate effect, as a member, pending the finalisation of your court matter.”

However, these are not the first disgruntled ANC councillors in the Mangaung Metro council to vote against one of theirs in favour of the opposition party's motion.

In September 2022, ANC councillors voted with the DA to vote out the council whip, Vumile Nikelo, after a motion of no confidence brought by the DA. This was after his controversial letter to the former council’s speaker, Stefani Lockman-Naidoo.

ALSO READ: Mangaung council whip out after secret ballot

The ANC caucus in the metro has been one of the most divided caucuses with deep and rooted infighting. In 2022, the council failed to vote and adopt its 2022/23 budget after some ANC councillors, who are in the majority, voted with opposition parties against the budget twice. 

Currently, the Mangaung Metro is without an executive mayor and council whip.

OFM News