ANC in Mangaung Targets Disgruntled Members After Surprise Revenge Vote Ushers DA Speaker Into Council

• The ANC in Mangaung didn't expect the vote for the council speaker to go in favour of the DA
• The ruling party's members were subjected to polygraph testing to uncover who "betrayed" the party
• The constitutionality of the polygraph testing has come under question by ANC members

BLOEMFONTEIN - The African National Congress in Mangaung is still picking its jaw up off the floor after surprisingly losing the speaker position to a Democratic Alliance councillor.

Maryke Davies became the new speaker of the Mangaung council after receiving 53 out of the 93 votes cast on Wednesday, 29 March. Davis beat ANC councillor Bongani Mathea.

The ANC has 51 councillors in the Mangaung council, but despite the outright majority, Mathea only got 40 votes, EWN reported.

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ANC in Mangaung threatens to polygraph members after loss to DA

Provincial leadership is fuming after the turn of events and has resorted to subjecting its councillors to polygraph testing to find out which member betrayed the party.

Rumour has it that some disgruntled ANC members defied party orders and voted with the opposition as retaliation for losing the top position at the provincial conference to newly elected chairperson Mxolisi Dukwana.

The disgruntled councillors believe the conference, which ended on 22 January, was rigged against them. The group decided to usher in a DA speaker to avenge the perceived slight, apparently.

ANC Free State leadership face backlash for polygraph testing of councillors

Though the provincial leadership have committed to testing its members, the move has ruffled some feathers within the ruling party. Some have questioned the constitutionality of forcing members to take the test.

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The polygraph test is a last-ditch effort by the ANC to keep control of the Mangaung council. On Thursday, 30 March, the council will reconvene to vote for a mayor and the party must isolate the defiant members to keep hold of the mayoral position, City Press reported.

South Africans divided by ANC Mangaung's decision to polygraph members

Below are some comments:

@leona_kleynhans

"Ja-nee! The result of the much-celebrated unity and Renewal!"

@Judaeda3 said:

"They are going to vote with DA for the new Mayor also if steps are not taken against them."

@phatsoanamm1081 claimed:

"As if that polygraph is going to change anything, the ANC is so divided in that province even glue can't keep it together."

@Fal01Boss questioned:

"Is this even legal?"

201 ANC MPs vote against DA motion for corruption probe into Eskom after ex-CEO André de Ruyter’s allegations

Briefly News previously reported that the African National Congress killed the Democratic Alliance's motion to establish a probe into widespread corruption at Eskom.

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201 ANC MPs vote against DA motion for corruption probe into Eskom after ex-CEO André de Ruyter’s allegations

Using its majority share of the seats in the National Assembly, all 201 ANC MPs voted against the motion, successfully preventing an ad hoc committee from being established.

The DA tabled the motion after ex-Eskom CEO André de Ruyter made allegations of rampant corruption and criminal cartels operating unabated at the power utility.

Source: Briefly News