It’s alleged that 12 ANC councillors colluded with the EFF and DA, among others, to vote for the DA's candidate for Speaker, Maryke Davies, instead of the ANC's speaker candidate, Lawrence Mathae.

ALSO READ: DA councillor elected as speaker of Mangaung

He says they will not harbour people within the party ranks who go against the mandate of the ANC and vote with the opposition. He says if needs be, a polygraph test should be used to identify the individuals who voted with the DA. It will be used but within the prescripts of the law. 

This follows after allegations that the ANC in Mangaung held councillors hostage on Wednesday, following this embarrassing outcome, to subject them to a lie detector test. Mbalula said the ANC structures in the metro are dealing with the matter but those who voted with the DA are known to them.

“We are fully aware of the fact that the people’s mandate has seriously been sabotaged in Mangaung by delinquent ANC councillors, giving the mandate to the DA. They do not deserve it. So, we will go to the people who have elected us if the need arises. If some are prepared to repent, we will look at it case by case but the incorrigible ones have to face consequences. They must be disciplined. We have done that in Mkhonto recently, in Mpumalanga. We have done that and we went to the people and won. We are now in control of Umkhonto. We are not going to surrender power because we know what it means to those people of Mangaung who have voted for the ANC and some individuals somewhere with their factional or self-interest have decided to throw that out of the window. So we are dealing with that matter. But I can assure everyone that the ANC will be firm, even if there will be a temporary inconvenience for us. We will be firm in terms of dealing with ill discipline in the organisation,” Mbalula adds.

The ANC in Mangaung has announced that it will hold an urgent media briefing on Friday at the party’s headquarters in the Kaizer Sebothelo Building in Bloemfontein. ANC Mangaung regional spokesperson, Ncamile Nxangisa, said the briefing follows the recent developments at the Mangaung Metropolitan Municipal Council, including matters affecting its deployees in the council.

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.

Davies' election as the new speaker of the troubled metro comes after former Speaker Stefani Lockman-Naidoo resigned recently.

Lockman-Naidoo addressed her resignation letter to the (ACM) Motlashuping on Wednesday 15 March 2023, shortly after former Mayor Mxolisi Siyonzana resigned.

ALSO READ – Breaking News: Mangaung speaker resigns

These two members of the municipal structure called TROIKA resigned after they were allegedly recalled by the ANC Provincial Executive Committee (PEC). 

Thursday's council sitting, set to elect the Mangaung's mayor and whip, was cancelled in a twist of events.

ALSO READ: Mangaung council sitting cancelled

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 on Wednesday we received messages of threats to the lives of councillors and officials ahead of Thursday’s council meeting. There was going to be a protest boycott and all those kinds of things. So just for the safety of everybody, we decided to cancel the meeting,” Davies added.

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