Riot Hlatshwayo

Mandla Ndlovu, the ANC's chief whip in the Ehlanzeni district municipality, has resigned his position to become secretary at the party's Bohlabela regional office.

Ndlovu resigned on Monday and is expected to start his new job in Bushbuckridge, Limpopo, immediately.

"I have resigned as a councillor from the Ehlanzeni municipality. I will obviously miss the councillors as well as the whole administrative staff," Ndlovu said.

Ndlovu, a former teacher at Thulamahashe, near Bushbuckridge, was elected secretary at the ANC's regional conference in Bohlabela last March. He replaces Milton Morema.

Morema, the mayor of Bushbuckridge, was elected chairman.

Ndlovu and Morema apparently get along very well. Ndlovu attended Morema's court appearances on charges of murder last year.

Morema was accused of killing Jeffrey Sedibe in 2003. Morema stopped the investigations by obtaining a high court order that barred the police from arresting him.

A top officer said the police could not rearrest Morema.