The African Independent Congress (AIC) has accused the ANC of not taking the party's demands on the Matatiele demarcation seriously.
It has now threatened to end the coalition which helped the governing party keep control of the City of Ekurhuleni in Gauteng and Rustenburg local municipality in the North West.
After last year's local government elections, the ANC approached the AIC to form a coalition which ensured that it retained its hold in Ekurhuleni and Rustenburg.
The coalition now seems to be on the brink of collapse given the latest developments which could see both municipalities battle to pass their budgets later this year.
AIC president Mandla Galo allegedly gave the governing party an ultimatum after the ANC cancelled two meetings and was now dragging its feet on the matter.
"Come March 31, if nothing tangible, in terms of our major demand [returning Matatiele to KwaZulu-Natal], we are pulling out of the coalition," he said yesterday.
"They are benefiting in Ekurhuleni and Rustenburg. but we are still without anything that shows commitment [from the ANC]."
The town of Matatiele was moved from KwaZulu-Natal to the Eastern Cape in 2005. The AIC has been fighting against this ever since.
In a 2009 referendum, people voted for the return of Matatiele to KwaZulu-Natal. However, the AIC say that nothing has happened since, even though it had met with President Zuma about the matter.
Galo said it was agreed in December to set up a "five-a-side" team, to deal with the matter.
The ANC's team is led by national executive committee member Jeff Radebe.
ANC deputy secretary general Jessie Duarte said the party was concerned that there was an unabated "vociferous campaign", but that people needed to remember that this was about a provincial boundary.
"It's not a matter that we can sit around this table and make a decision about. It needs to be discussed in Parliament.
"Provincial boundaries are not changed willy-nilly, they come from a long distance of research and decisions that were made, and that decision was made. about 15 years ago," she said.
Galo said the AIC had been promised a meeting with Radebe and his team, which is made up of officials from KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape, next week when he returns from Davos.
The AIC wants the ANC to sign a memorandum of understanding and commit to deadlines on the matter.
"If we agree next week [at the meeting], we will stay in the coalition," Galo said.
ANC secretary general Gwede Mantashe said there were complications and returning Matatiele was not an easy decision.
He said when the ANC went into a coalition with the AIC it was agreed that a discussion on the matter would start, but not that it would immediately be returned. - Additional reporter Natasha Marrian
ANC-AIC coalition under threat
The African Independent Congress (AIC) has accused the ANC of not taking the party's demands on the Matatiele demarcation seriously.
It has now threatened to end the coalition which helped the governing party keep control of the City of Ekurhuleni in Gauteng and Rustenburg local municipality in the North West.
After last year's local government elections, the ANC approached the AIC to form a coalition which ensured that it retained its hold in Ekurhuleni and Rustenburg.
The coalition now seems to be on the brink of collapse given the latest developments which could see both municipalities battle to pass their budgets later this year.
AIC president Mandla Galo allegedly gave the governing party an ultimatum after the ANC cancelled two meetings and was now dragging its feet on the matter.
"Come March 31, if nothing tangible, in terms of our major demand [returning Matatiele to KwaZulu-Natal], we are pulling out of the coalition," he said yesterday.
"They are benefiting in Ekurhuleni and Rustenburg. but we are still without anything that shows commitment [from the ANC]."
The town of Matatiele was moved from KwaZulu-Natal to the Eastern Cape in 2005. The AIC has been fighting against this ever since.
In a 2009 referendum, people voted for the return of Matatiele to KwaZulu-Natal. However, the AIC say that nothing has happened since, even though it had met with President Zuma about the matter.
Galo said it was agreed in December to set up a "five-a-side" team, to deal with the matter.
The ANC's team is led by national executive committee member Jeff Radebe.
ANC deputy secretary general Jessie Duarte said the party was concerned that there was an unabated "vociferous campaign", but that people needed to remember that this was about a provincial boundary.
"It's not a matter that we can sit around this table and make a decision about. It needs to be discussed in Parliament.
"Provincial boundaries are not changed willy-nilly, they come from a long distance of research and decisions that were made, and that decision was made. about 15 years ago," she said.
Galo said the AIC had been promised a meeting with Radebe and his team, which is made up of officials from KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape, next week when he returns from Davos.
The AIC wants the ANC to sign a memorandum of understanding and commit to deadlines on the matter.
"If we agree next week [at the meeting], we will stay in the coalition," Galo said.
ANC secretary general Gwede Mantashe said there were complications and returning Matatiele was not an easy decision.
He said when the ANC went into a coalition with the AIC it was agreed that a discussion on the matter would start, but not that it would immediately be returned. - Additional reporter Natasha Marrian
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