Estimated reading time: 4 minutes
Newcastle Municipality narrowly avoided political instability after ActionSA demanded that Newcastle Municipality’s Chief Whip, Faizel Cassim, resign.
This, after Cassim, was elected Chief Whip at the inaugural council meeting on 22 November 2021, alongside members of the newly elected leadership.
The Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP), Democratic Alliance (DA), Team Sugar South Africa (TSSA), and ActionSA formed a coalition with the goal to uproot the ANC’s long-standing hold on Newcastle, KwaZulu-Natal.
Despite Cassim’s contributions to the coalition’s formation and the establishment of ActionSA Newcastle—ActionSA’s leadership was persistent in demanding that he resign as Chief Whip. This, based on a decision from the party’s Senate. A demand that would have potentially destabilised a newly formed municipality and coalition in a notoriously politically problematic region of South Africa.
Nevertheless, with Cassim forced to tender his resignation and various municipal heads rejecting it, national spokesperson for ActionSA, Lerato Ngobeni, says, “The fact of the matter is that the party took a stance that no positions were to be taken up in Newcastle and without communicating the developments in that Council, Cassim went on to defy a Senate resolution.”
She went on to say that all political parties make decisions based on what they think is best for their constituents and communities.
“In this instance, the decisions taken by the ActionSA Senate were made with that in mind. We are committed to working amicably and in good faith with other political parties, with the exception of the ANC, which we have stated on numerous occasions should be designated as public enemy number one. The decision not to take up council positions was not made lightly by our party and prior to Cllr. Cassim accepting nomination as Chief Whip.”
In stark contradiction to this, the Newcastillian-Online editorial team was presented with proof that Cassim followed protocol by notifying the political party’s former KZN Chairperson, Dr Makhosi Khoza. According to the said correspondence, she was notified that the IFP and TSSA had offered Cassim the Chief Whip position.
Flashforward, as seen across the news, Dr Khoza resigned as KZN Chairperson. As a result of continued friction in the party, Khoza then resigned from her position as Chairperson of the Municipal Public Accounts Committee (MPAC) in the eThekweni Municipality. Noting that her acceptance of this position resulted in the fallout between her and Mashaba, as Khoza accepted votes from ActionSA’s sworn enemy, the ANC.
You must remember that the votes from the ANC councillors played a crucial role in her appointment as the eThekwini MPAC chairperson.
After a rather large public feud between Mashaba and Khoza, ActionSA’s Mashaba has filed an internal complaint against Khoza, which ActionSA’s disciplinary committee is reviewing.
There have also been allegations that an illegal ActionSA faction was formed in Newcastle during Khoza’s tenure as KZN Chair. According to sources, this faction allegedly tried to bully its way into the Newcastle Municipality, demanding that they be given jobs.
Thankfully, with clear skies on the horizon, the uncertainty surrounding Cassim’s appointment and the illegal factions operating in KZN has passed.
Busi Radebe, ActionSA KZN’s provincial spokesperson, confirms that Cassim will retain his title as Chief Whip and is now also ActionSA’s Director of Operations in the Amajuba District.
Elated with the decision that he can now retain his position within the Newcastle Municipality, Cassim says, “I am glad everything has been resolved. After the relevant information and communications were sent to ActionSA’s president, Herman Mashaba, it was established that the matter was due to a misunderstanding and miscommunication.”
This not only allowed Cassim to keep his seat, but it also resolved the issue of the illegal faction.
Cassim quickly resolved the matter after the political party promoted him to Director of Operations in the Amajuba District.
His eyes now set to the future, knowing his job as Chief Whip is no longer on the line, Cassim concludes, “Now the work really begins….”
Showing support for the local community and the future therein, Ngobeni assures, “What ActionSA can say to the people of Newcastle, is that the party values their confidence in us and that we have not waivered from our stance that we want to work with people who are committed to public service and not to self. People who put residents ahead of party political and individual self-interests. We are unrelenting on that stance. Our organisation was founded on truth, transparency and absolute commitment to advancing the interests of the South African people and ensure that we begin to rebuild our country. We are a new and growing political party and as such, teething problems are bound to arise, that is not unique to ActionSA.”
What are your thoughts on the subject? Share your views in the comment section below.
RELATED NEWS
2 Responses
A right royal mess!
There were numerous other parties that were part of the coalition that offered Faizal the Chief Whip position, stop your one eyed biased reporting