Service delivery at risk as ANC suspends four rebellious Impendle councillors
Impendle Mayor Kwenzakufani "Kho" Dlamini says the four suspended ANC councillors will continue serving the community, assuring residents that service delivery will not be affected despite party disciplinary action.
Image: Supplied
The leadership crisis in the Impendle Local Municipality deepened on Friday after the ANC suspended four of its councillors for defying a party directive during a council vote to appoint a mayor.
The municipality has been without a mayor for more than six months, and tensions came to a head when ANC councillors ignored instructions to vote for Nonjabulo Ndlovu as mayor. Instead, they voted in Malcolm Dlamini, prompting outrage from the ANC’s provincial leadership, including Provincial Task Team (PTT) convener Jeff Radebe.
Following the vote, the ANC PTT convened an urgent meeting, where it was resolved that disciplinary action be taken against the four councillors involved.
Those suspended are Malcolm Dlamini, council Speaker Zibuse Dlamini, Nokuvela Ngcobo and Thabani Makhaye. The ANC holds six of the 10 seats in the Impendle council, with the suspended councillors representing four of the municipality’s five wards.Two ANC councillors were absent from the sitting, while two IFP and two EFF councillors abstained from voting.
ANC provincial spokesperson Fanle Sibisi said councillors were bound by organisational discipline and could not act independently of party directives.The municipality has been without a mayor since July 2025, following the removal of Buyisani Mlaba through a vote of no confidence. Since then, Impendle has faced mounting challenges, including service delivery failures and an inability to pay staff salaries on time.
Zibuse Dlamini and Kwenzakufani "Kho" Dlamini were elected as speaker and mayor of Impendle Local Municipality respectively on Friday.
Image: KZN Cogta
“The ANC acknowledges the leadership vacuum in Impendle and the serious governance challenges that have affected service delivery and the payment of staff salaries,” Sibisi said.
“We remain committed to the principle that no individual is above organisational discipline. This decision forms part of the ANC’s renewal programme.”
Sibisi said the ANC leadership, including alliance partners, would be deployed to the municipality to engage communities and reassure residents of wards 2, 3, 4 and 5 that the matter was being addressed.
Meanwhile, ANC members opposed to Ndlovu’s appointment staged a protest outside the venue where the PTT meeting was held.
Opposition parties warned that the suspension of the councillors could further destabilise the council.IFP councillor Sadewu Ngubane said the ANC’s internal divisions were paralysing the municipality.
“The ANC holds the majority in council, and Friday’s events showed that the party is deeply divided. We appeal to the ANC leadership to urgently resolve this matter, as the continued lack of leadership will negatively affect the council’s functioning,” Ngubane said.
EFF councillor Sifiso Zuma said the suspensions would have operational consequences, noting that the affected councillors chaired key committees.
“Council business starts at committee level. Without these councillors, there will be no committee meetings, and the wards they lead will not be represented,” Zuma said.
Zuma added that the ANC should have opted for reconciliation rather than suspension.
In a statement, Impendle Local Municipality Mayor Kwenzakufani "Kho" Dlamini said, “Despite this party action, the affected councillors will continue to perform their duties and responsibilities as elected representatives of the people, focusing on service delivery.”
Dlamini explained that, in terms of the Local Government: Municipal Structures Act,1998, the power to suspend or remove a councillor from office lies with the council, not political parties.
“Section 27 of the Act outlines the circumstances under which a councillor may be removed from office, and this involves a council resolution and adherence to due process,” he said.
Dlamini detailed the legal procedural steps required for suspension or removal.
He said a formal investigation must be conducted, which usually involves a council committee or a designated authority preparing a report on the alleged breach or misconduct.
The council must then convene a meeting to consider the report, and a resolution to suspend or remove the councillor must be passed by a majority vote, often two-thirds depending on council rules.
KwaZulu-Natal Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs spokesperson Senzelwe Mzila said the department would not comment on the matter at this stage.