The ANC-led Johannesburg coalition could collapse if the ANC does not reverse a decision to remove the IFP mayor of a small town in KwaZulu-Natal.
That is the threat from IFP leaders after some of the party's councillors in Mtubatuba colluded with their ANC counterparts to elect Thobelani Ncamphalala of the ANC as the new mayor after passing a vote of no confidence in the IFP's Velenkosini Gumede.
The parties reached an agreement last year to work together in hung municipalities in KwaZulu-Natal in exchange for the IFP's support in electing Geoff Makhubo as mayor of Johannesburg. IFP insiders said the party perceived Gumede's removal as a breach of the agreement.
"We were shocked because we had an agreement. We have honoured that agreement in Johannesburg and they [the ANC] went and took Mtubatuba. If they do not reverse that then we will withdraw our support for them in Johannesburg," said a senior IFP leader who asked not to be named.
The Mtubatuba municipality has been in the hands of the IFP since the 2016 local government elections, with the help of the DA, EFF and African Independent Congress. The IFP holds the same number of seats as the ANC.
Last year the ANC agreed to support the IFP in Mtubatuba, eDumbe, Abaqulusi, Nquthu, Estcourt and Endumeni in exchange for the IFP supporting the ANC in Johannesburg following the departure of DA mayor Herman Mashaba.
ANC spokesperson Nhlakanipho Ntombela said the ANC KwaZulu-Natal provincial executive committee and the Far North region, under which Mtubatuba falls, were not informed about the Mtubatuba councillors' actions.
"We will call them [the ANC councillors in Mtubatuba] to come and explain what informed them ... to go against ANC decisions and directives."
Ntombela said the ANC's agreement with the IFP still stands.
"There was a national process of engaging the IFP and there were agreements which were reached, part of which are where there are issues in local municipalities. Our bilaterals must try to resolve them first at a provincial level before any action can be taken.
"In this case there was no such [issue]. Even the REC [regional executive committee] in the Far North region did not know, neither did they endorse it ..."
IFP provincial secretary Thami Ntuli said the party would investigate which IFP councillors had voted with the ANC. He said the IFP's priority was to get the municipality "back to normal".
"We have heard that there was votebuying, even our councillors voted with the ANC. That concerns us as the IFP because the motion of no confidence against the mayor was not in the best interest of the community, who expect services, not the fight for positions.
"The situation was stabilising under the axed mayor, even reports from the administrator were indicating that we are on the right path in that municipality. The ANC does not even have enough votes to make decisions, so them taking the mayoral seat could further destabilise the municipality," Ntuli said.
Ncamphalala said the decision to elect him was taken by the ANC caucus in Mtubatuba. He denied accusations of vote-buying made by the IFP. "The [ANC] provincial leadership has made contact and we are obliged as deployees of the ANC to come and explain ourselves," he said.
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