The EFF councillors have pledged to vote in favour of the Municipal Manager’s removal
The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) in the Eastern Cape handed over a memorandum of grievances to the Mayor of Ingquza Hill Local Municipality on Wednesday, this comes after the municipality’s decision to demolish properties in a nearby village (Nkululekweni), citing that they are on the municipal land.
The EFF march was joined by hawkers and community members from Nkululekweni who were affected by the municipality’s recent demolitions. According to the affected community this move has been part of an ongoing court battle between the community members and the municipality. Recently, the municipality initiated demolition instructions, resulting in the destruction of around 20 homes in the village. Furthermore, the municipality also demolished hawkers’ stalls in an effort to clean up the town.
The EFF Secretary Simthembile Madikizela stated that the municipality’s actions in demolishing informal traders’ stalls and homes in a nearby community were unconstitutional. The EFF has vowed to march daily until the affected individuals receive assistance. According to Madikizela, the demolitions resulted in significant losses for the hawkers and community members. The party is demanding that the municipality addresses the grievances of the affected individuals. The EFF secretary emphasized that the party will not back down until the matter is resolved. The EFF’s actions are in solidarity with the hawkers and community members who are seeking justice and compensation for their losses. “We will not back down, we are with the people who are affected and we pledge our support to them. For now, we are taking legal actions, we are going to first explore the legal side of this matter. We believe that what the municipal manager did is inhuman and unconstitutional. A lot of people lost so much – their homes, their livelihoods, and their jobs due to his actions,” said Madikizela
Madikizela emphasized that the party will take different approach to address the issue, including taking legal action and lobbying other parties, including the ANC, to support the removal of the Municipal Manager. “We are going to fight until necessary actions are taken; we understand it won’t happen overnight, which is why we are not backing down,” said Madikizela. Madikizela warned that if their demands are not met, they will be left with no choice but to take more drastic measures. “The last one will be unhappy, we have made it clear that if this continues, we are going to break the law, as what they did is breaking the law as well,” said Madikizela. He further said, they don’t know the Municipal Manager’s reasons for this, but they know he’s inhuman, a vampire who loves destroying people’s lives.
Continuing Madikizela questioned the Municipal Manager’s logic, stating that the decision to go to court was taken in 2012, and then in 2024, a court order was obtained. Now, in 2025, he implements it. “What is he thinking? His logic must tell him that once a person has been in a place for three years, you can’t remove them without providing an alternative,” he said.
Madikizela emphasized that previous Municipal Managers had not implemented such decisions, and questioned what made this manager think he was better than others. The EFF cited the Municipal Systems Act of 2005 and the Municipal Structures Act, highlighting the municipality’s responsibility for economic development. According to the EFF, this includes supporting informal traders, hawkers, and established retailers. The EFF argued that by demolishing hawkers’ stalls, the municipality is failing to fulfil its legal obligations. The party has called for the Municipal Manager’s removal, demanding that the council initiate a special meeting within seven days. The EFF councillors have pledged to vote in favour of the Municipal Manager’s removal, and have expressed confidence that other councillors, including some from the ANC, will join them in supporting this motion. “EFF have six councillors in that Municipality with that number we will vote with whatever ANC’s faction that is in favour of the motion,”
