THE beleaguered Blouberg local municipality in Limpopo is divided over whether to suspend its municipal manager.

Municipal manager Isaac Makhura is accused of fruitless expenditure totalling R300million, among other things.

A special council meeting to suspend Makhura was on Friday cancelled until further notice after councillors failed to agree on the motion.

Some members support mayor Serite Sekgoloane's call that Makhura should be suspended.

Sekgoloane and Makhura have clashed since the April elections over the control and awarding of lucrative municipal tenders.

On Friday, soon after the council meeting started, a group of Makhura's supporters started shouting slogans, and the situation got out of hand.

Council speaker Maria Thamaga was forced to call the police to restore order in the council chamber.

Sekgoloane said the council had initially agreed in principle that Makhura should be suspended. "I was baffled when some of them made a u-turn."

His suspension was also supported by the South African National Civic Organisation (Sanco). Capricorn regional secretary Sanny Mannya said: "I wonder why the ANC is failing to take action against him."

But the ACDP said Sekgoloane was waging a vendetta.