The UDM in the King Sabata Dalindyebo municipality wants Nyaniso Nelani removed as mayor, after it was reported earlier that he allegedly used municipal funds to pay for a trip to an ANC party event in Durban.
The opposition party officially submitted a motion of no confidence in Nelani to municipal manager Ngamela Pakade on Thursday, accusing the mayor of several transgressions including spending municipal funds to attend an ANC event in Durban early in 2024.
The motion states: “We hereby table this motion to council to relieve the executive mayor of his duties.
“The executive mayor failed to take the council into his confidence when he did not report the dire financial status of the municipality (that is no funds for salaries in February 2025), the organigram-concurrence from the MEC for Cogta, the CFO’s salary, executive mayor’s visit to China and spending of municipal funds for political organisation activity in Durban.”
In 2024, Nelani was accused of having allegedly used nearly R200,000 from the public purse to attend the launch of the ANC’s election manifesto in February 2024.
This was after the Mail & Guardian had reported in May that Nelani and two mayoral committee members — Ziyanda Nokayi and Nombulelo Sibeko — had used municipal funds to go to the launch at the Moses Mabhida Stadium.
UDM councillor Raymond Knock, who previously accused speaker Nomamfengu Siyo-Sokutu of blocking attempts to have allegations against Nelani brought to the council, said on Thursday they were also contemplating laying formal fraud and corruption criminal complaints against Nelani.
“Right now, a motion of no confidence has been submitted but we are also planning to open a case against him. At the moment, we are seeking legal advice on how to go about it.
“We hope the motion will be included in the agenda for the next council meeting ... on March 30.”
It has emerged that the council set up an ad hoc committee to investigate the allegations against Nelani after they surfaced in 2024.
However, Knock said the committee had done nothing and its chair, Zoliswa Madyibi, an ANC councillor, had been subsequently removed from the position.
“We wrote to the council speaker several times about this. Up to now, there has been no direction.
“It seems the ANC-led council is dragging its feet. They are hoping the term will end before the investigation is done.
“They are just playing games and protecting the mayor.”
Questions were sent to mayoral spokesperson Olwethu Mabovula but she had not responded by the time of publication.
Meanwhile, Matatiele mayor Sonwabile Mngenela appeared in court this week for allegedly using municipal funds to finance his trip to an ANC event in East London in 2022.
The provincial ANC has confirmed he is set to be removed from office, pending a report from Mngenela and the ANC regional leadership.
Mngenela had been authorised to attend a bilateral meeting with the National Association of People Living with HIV and Aids in East London but reportedly never showed up.
According to the National Prosecuting Authority, he was arrested and appeared in court this week after allegations that in May 2022, his municipality had spent R13,914 on accommodation and travel costs for him and his driver to attend the Eastern Cape ANC elective conference in East London.
On Thursday, Cogta MEC Zolile Williams’ spokesperson, Pheello Oliphant, said while there was no actual law authorising politicians to use government resources to attend party political events, a precedent in the SA political landscape had been created since 1994.
“There is no promulgated law that prevents politicians from using their official vehicles for party events.
“Successive country presidents have been attending party political events being driven by government bodyguards.
“There has never been a clearly demarcated staff separation between the government bodyguards and party specific-bodyguards and or motorcades.
“The lines have been blurred, and that practice has cascaded down to municipalities. It is blurry to this day.”
He said legislatures and municipalities were charged with the responsibility of coming up with legislation that would clearly demarcate specific responsibilities of the specific political parties and their staff, as well as responsibilities when politicians carried out government functions.
In most cases, mayors’ drivers spent 70% of their time working on party political activities and 30% on government functions, he said.
Daily Dispatch
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