ANC slams KZN MEC sacking

2003-03-25 18:59

Durban - The African National Congress on Tuesday condemned the sacking by KwaZulu-Natal premier Lionel Mtshali of Education MEC Gabriel Ndabandaba.

Ndabandaba has defected to the African National Congress from the Inkatha Freedom Party.

The KZN education department said Mtshali relieved Ndabandaba of his duties and assumed the post for the time being.

The provincial ANC said: "The ANC in KwaZulu-Natal has not been surprised by premier Lionel Mtshali's irrational announcement that he is booting out Education MEC, Prof Gabriel Ndabandaba, from the provincial cabinet.

"The fact that Prof Ndabandaba has decided to follow his conscience and cross to the ANC did not warrant premier Mtshali's irresponsible announcement to so-called 'fire' the MEC." "The ANC has always held the view that the IFP is handling education in a reckless manner in this province.

"Ever since Prof Ndabandaba became Education MEC, there has been a remarkable improvement in the education department, which is why premier Mtshali has been interfering and stifling the smooth running of the department." Ndabandaba's defection came on the fourth day of the 15-day window period and followed Omie Singh's defection from the Democratic Alliance to the ANC on Friday.

This gave the ANC 34 seats in the legislature, the IFP 33 and the DA six.

The defection also placed pressure on the precarious balance of power in the province, with the ANC needing just a handful of seats in the legislature to take control of the province's government.

With the support of the Minority Front's two members and the New National Party's three, the ANC now has 39 seats - the same number of seats as the IFP-DA coalition.

The United Democratic Movement and the African Christian Democratic Party hold one seat each.

IFP national spokesperson Musa Zondi has expressed "shock and disappointment" over Ndabandaba's decision.

He acknowledged that the ANC could take outright control of the province should the IFP continue to lose seats to the ANC, adding there was no way of knowing what would happen in the remainder of the window period.

Ndabandaba, in a statement titled "I am born again", called on other members of the IFP to "reconsider their positions".

He also accused Mtshali of interfering with his work as MEC.

"My humiliation, harassment and the stifling of all my creativity and initiatives ... by Premier Lionel Mtshali ... are but a final stroke that broke the camel's back," he said.

Ndabandaba, a professor of criminology, had been an IFP member of parliament since 1999.

The defection window period ends on April 4.

- SAPA