Langa's joining of the IFP comes after his former party ditched the IFP coalition in the KwaNongoma municipality by-elections and in the eThekwini metro. They chose to vote with the ANC instead.
Ntuli raised concerns that the coalition government was starting to cause “instability” in the country amid a rise in the number of “struggling” citizens.
“The by-election results in KwaZulu-Natal are a loud cry for change. They are a clear signal of frustration with the ANC government. People are tired of the endless empty promises since 2004,” said Ntuli.
The IFP has slammed the ANC in the province for interfering in local government matters, through the KZN MEC of Cogta, Bongi Sithole-Moloi.
“It is a shame to see how much Sithole-Moloi is used by her political masters to wrongfully target IFP-led municipalities with an aim of causing instability,” Ntuli said. He added that the ANC had acted hastily in Nongoma and Maphumulo municipality under the instruction of KZN ANC leaders.
“We all know that they became a mockery when their actions were tested in court. For untold months, the ANC has been intentionally obstructing the democratic will of the people from taking its course and preventing the IFP from taking its rightful place at the helm of troubled municipalities in the province,” said Ntuli.
He added that Sithole-Moloi should have focused on interventions to address the eThekwini municipality's problems.
“Day after day we live in a reality of a once-thriving eThekwini which has been brought to its knees through corruption, mismanagement, sewage spills, rising crime and inept, unethical leadership.”
They believed that the ruling party should begin to take more seriously the grievances of the “embattled” municipalities.
The ANC in KZN rejected remarks by Ntuli and said they would request the MEC of Cogta to intensify and act more decisively in matters concerning local government municipalities where the IFP is “abusing power by sleeping with municipal employees and hosting bashes and izimbizo” with the funds meant for the municipalities.
“The IFP is showing ignorance on how the structures of government work, the provincial government has a responsibility to ensure that all local municipalities operate within the framework of their government,” said KZN ANC spokesperson Mafika Mndebele.
He said there was no way that Sithole-Moloi would keep quiet where young municipality workers were forced to exchange their bodies for money paid by leaders of IFP-led municipalities.
“Our provincial government will not keep quiet when some IFP councillors say they're the only ones authorised to sleep with female workers in the workplace. In fact, as ANC in the province, we call upon MEC for Cogta Sithole-Moloi to act more decisively in ensuring that services and dignity in government institutions is restored.”
EFF MP joins IFP in KwaZulu-Natal, saying party no longer serves the poor
Image: Nqubeko Mbhele
The IFP chair in KwaZulu-Natal has welcomed a former EFF MP into the party's ranks.
This comes after the IFP recorded another victory in by-elections in the Umsunduzi district.
Party chair and mayor of King Cetshwayo district Thamsanqa Ntuli welcomed former EFF MP Thokozani Langa, who believes his former party has derailed its interest in serving the needs of the marginalised.
Ntuli was speaking at the IFP headquarters in Durban.
Langa's joining of the IFP comes after his former party ditched the IFP coalition in the KwaNongoma municipality by-elections and in the eThekwini metro. They chose to vote with the ANC instead.
Ntuli raised concerns that the coalition government was starting to cause “instability” in the country amid a rise in the number of “struggling” citizens.
“The by-election results in KwaZulu-Natal are a loud cry for change. They are a clear signal of frustration with the ANC government. People are tired of the endless empty promises since 2004,” said Ntuli.
The IFP has slammed the ANC in the province for interfering in local government matters, through the KZN MEC of Cogta, Bongi Sithole-Moloi.
“It is a shame to see how much Sithole-Moloi is used by her political masters to wrongfully target IFP-led municipalities with an aim of causing instability,” Ntuli said. He added that the ANC had acted hastily in Nongoma and Maphumulo municipality under the instruction of KZN ANC leaders.
“We all know that they became a mockery when their actions were tested in court. For untold months, the ANC has been intentionally obstructing the democratic will of the people from taking its course and preventing the IFP from taking its rightful place at the helm of troubled municipalities in the province,” said Ntuli.
He added that Sithole-Moloi should have focused on interventions to address the eThekwini municipality's problems.
“Day after day we live in a reality of a once-thriving eThekwini which has been brought to its knees through corruption, mismanagement, sewage spills, rising crime and inept, unethical leadership.”
They believed that the ruling party should begin to take more seriously the grievances of the “embattled” municipalities.
The ANC in KZN rejected remarks by Ntuli and said they would request the MEC of Cogta to intensify and act more decisively in matters concerning local government municipalities where the IFP is “abusing power by sleeping with municipal employees and hosting bashes and izimbizo” with the funds meant for the municipalities.
“The IFP is showing ignorance on how the structures of government work, the provincial government has a responsibility to ensure that all local municipalities operate within the framework of their government,” said KZN ANC spokesperson Mafika Mndebele.
He said there was no way that Sithole-Moloi would keep quiet where young municipality workers were forced to exchange their bodies for money paid by leaders of IFP-led municipalities.
“Our provincial government will not keep quiet when some IFP councillors say they're the only ones authorised to sleep with female workers in the workplace. In fact, as ANC in the province, we call upon MEC for Cogta Sithole-Moloi to act more decisively in ensuring that services and dignity in government institutions is restored.”
He accused the IFP of turning local government institutions into a “mockery”, and behaving like tribal kings.
Ntuli accused KwaZulu-Natal premier Nomusa Dube-Ncube of faking concern over the protection of traditional leaders and said she had not bolstered her words with actions.
“We therefore call on premier to stop merely paying lip-service to this critical issue.”
Mndebele denied that and said they were the only organisation that had defended Amakhosi and izinduna.
“We are the only organisation that agreed to back-pay salaries of izinduna who haven’t been paid since 2015. It is the very same ANC government who went to Amakhosi and izinduna to propose that they would be paid monthly.
“We intervened and formed committees and brought in the MEC of safety, Sipho Hlomuka, to propose a special unit that will look at the brutal murders of Amakhosi and izinduna in the province,” he said.
Recently, the premier and the Cogta MEC met the province's house of traditional leaders to hear their concerns and grievances.
“We are glad that the premier has intervened in the matter of protecting KZN traditional leaders ...
“We would like to urge the South African community, particularly from KZN, to take part in making sure that their traditional leaders are protected. We urge whatever grudges there are to be resolved in an orderly manner,” said chair of the house Chief Rubert Sifiso.
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