An IFP councillor in the Abaqulusi local municipality is facing backlash after being caught on camera telling mourners at a funeral he would hire someone from that family in the municipality.
Since the video of Abaqulusi speaker and IFP Zululand district chairperson Michael Khumalo emerged on social media, the South African Municipal Workers’ Union (Samwu) has called on the IFP to take disciplinary action against the speaker.
Speaking in isiZulu, Khumalo was heard in the video saying: “I told the municipality that the Mambatheni family will give us one child and we’ll hire that child in the municipality. If there is no vacancy, we’ll fire an ANC person.”
Khumalo’s utterances received huge applause from guests attending the funeral on Saturday. He was captured live on the municipality’s Facebook page.
Samwu provincial secretary Nokubonga Dinga took issue with Khumalo’s pronouncements as he was not an “employing authority in the municipality”.
“We are of the view that all vacancies in municipalities should be filled by competent individuals who are recruited in a fair and transparent manner.
“Councillor Khumalo does not have the power to create vacancies out of nowhere and fill them without following the recruitment processes of the municipality. To the agitation of the union, municipal workers and unemployed people under the jurisdiction of the municipality, councillor Khumalo went as far as promising mourners that should there be no vacancy in the municipality, he will ensure that those who are members of the ANC are fired and replaced by IFP members,” she said.
Dinga said as a union, they can’t allow a situation where municipal workers are forced to belong to a particular party to ensure that they are employed or keep their employment.
“These comments by councillor Khumalo are clear indications of how municipalities have been factionalised along political lines. It is clear to us that councillor Khumalo does not know the limits and powers of his office.
“As Samwu, we will be laying a complaint with the public protector against councillor Khumalo for his comments which to us constitutes an abuse of power, failure to adhere to the separations of powers between the council and the administration and the last complaint being a violation of human rights and freedom of association,” Dinga said.
Samwu called on the IFP to subject Khumalo to disciplinary processes.
IFP national spokesperson Mkhuleko Hlengwa said the party had been made aware of Khumalo’s remarks.
“The political oversight committee is looking into the matter and councillor Khumalo will present himself to before the committee at its next meeting to explain himself.
“The IFP reiterates the importance of separation of party and state/government, and due adherence to employment processes within the dictates of the law,” he said.
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