Sicelo Dladla

Sicelo Dladla

The IFP is to summon its Imbabazane municipality speaker Shokwakhe Mbatha to an urgent disciplinary hearing.

The IFP-led council in the uThukela district is in chaos as infighting divides its members in the municipality.

The IFP is fuming after Mbatha appointed Bongiwe Mnikathi as municipal manager.

The party says this was the responsibility of the mayor, who was also in the process of employing somebody for the position.

The municipality ended up with two people for the same position.

"As a leader of the full council, the party concluded that the speaker should not have been involved in the hiring of the municipal manager as stipulated by the act," said Geoffrey Bhengu, a member of the Political Oversight Committee (POC).

"This was the responsibility of the mayor, Hlanganani Dlamini, who is the chairman of the executive and the head of the administration."

The POC investigated the infighting between IFP councillors in Imbabazane.

Bhengu said the Municipal Systems Act demands that the mayor recommends the name of the person to be appointed to the full council.

He said once the recommendation was approved, the mayor signed a performance contract on behalf of the municipality.

"The mayor has since taken the speaker to court for breaching the act. The matter will be heard in the Pietermaritzburg high court."