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Mangaung mayor refuses to quit
24/07/2008 20:30 - (SA)
Parys - The Mangaung executive mayor and the council speaker have so far refused an ANC request for them to resign, re-elected Free State leader Ace Magashule confirmed on Thursday.
Magashule said the two political heads of the Bloemfontein area, Mayor Gertrude Mothupi and Speaker Mahlomola Ralebese, were asked to step down by Thursday last week.
"There was no common purpose among the party (ANC councillors) under the mayor," Magashule answered when asked for reasons for the action against Mothupi.
Recently, Mothupi spearheaded the suspension of Mangaung municipal manager Thabo Manyoni, who was elected deputy-chair of the ANC in the Free State in Parys on Thursday.
Manyoni was not in Parys during the elections, but spend the day in the Bloemfontein High Court where he was contesting his suspension.
The matter was postponed to August 7. Members expelled
On Thursday, provincial secretary Sibongile Besani said 22 ANC members in the province were expelled from the organisation for either taking the party to court or standing as independent candidates.
Delivering his organisational report, Besani said efforts at defying the party were clearer in the Mangaung (Bloemfontein), Naledi (Dewetsdorp) and Mantsopa (Ladybrand) municipalities where the co-ordination of these efforts seemed to be institutionalised.
"The participation of staff members from the offices of the executive mayor of Mangaung and Speaker also explains this level of co-ordination." Business interests
Besani said the problems in Mangaung might have more to do with business interests than political matters.
"There was a general relationship between those involved in co-ordinating the defiance in the province and business interests. The people leading these disruptions have a history of being in senior positions."
ANC president Jacob Zuma was expected to address the conference on Friday.
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