MOVE TO SABOTAGE POLITICAL CHANGE MEETING FAILS

SIPHOFANENI - A move to sabotage calls for a political change meeting at Siphofaneni has failed.

The Siphofaneni Constituency Council had a meeting at the inkhundla yesterday, where the first item on the agenda was to discuss the call by community members to have a meeting where their Member of Parliament (MP) Mduduzi ‘Gawuzela’ Simelane would be expected to unpack the call for political reforms. Usually, the constituency council comprises of the MP, constituency headman (Indvuna yeNkhundla), secretary and the seven chiefdom councillors (bucopho). However, in yesterday’s meeting, only one chiefdom councillor (from Othandweni/Maphilongo) could not make it. A source close to the matter said as this publication had highlighted yesterday, during the meeting, Siphofaneni Constituency Headman Mzimela Simelane, who chairs the council, introduced the issue of the call for political reforms in the country.

Receiving

The source said the chairman of the meeting stated that he was receiving calls from community members, who were asking him to convene a meeting where they would discuss the call for political change, among other issues. The insider alleged that some of the chiefdom councillors made it clear that they were not for the idea of hosting the political change meeting. According to the source, their argument was that community members from their chiefdoms had not approached them about the matter, thus they were allegedly not aware that they wanted to have the said meeting. “Therefore, they said they were sceptical in approving the meeting as they were not approached about the matter,” the source added. Again, he alleged that as the discussions, which lasted for about an hour, continued, the councillors, who were against the idea of having the political change meeting, said following what was being discussed on social media platforms, they feared that the gathering would be attended by people from other constituencies.

Their concern about this assumption was that this could mean they would breach the COVID-19 guidelines, which limits the number of an outdoor event to 500 attendees. “They even said what if the people burnt down the inkhundla structure. They based this on what they were getting from some of the discussions which were being carried out on social media platforms,” the insider alleged. Once more, during the meeting, this publication overheard one of the constituency council members saying; “If someone wants to establish ema-party (political parties), he should do so, but allow development to take place in the communities.” Their argument, according to an insider, was that the people voted for them (bucopho) into the positions because they wanted development.

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