ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula has warned Provincial leaders against appointing mayors without his approval.

• Fikile Mbalula has written to ANC provincial leaders to warn them about removing mayors willy-nilly without his approval.
• Mbalula wrote a letter to provincial secretaries reminding them of the guidelines and criteria to follow when appointing and removing mayors.
• In recent months, ANC provincial leaders have removed several mayors.

ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula has written to Anc Provincial Leaders to warn them about removing mayors willy-nilly without his approval.

On Tuesday, Mbalula wrote to provincial secretaries of the party, a letter News24 has seen, reminding them about the governing party's guidelines and processes in appointing mayor, members of the mayoral committee (MMCs) and council speakers.

"We have noted with concern reports that provincial executive committees (PEC) in certain provinces have removed mayors and appointed other mayors without following the necessary processes," wrote Mbalula.

He added that the governing party's national executive committee in 2021 had adopted criteria and guidelines for the appointment of mayors.

The party announced in 2021, ahead of the local government elections, that the criteria and guidelines include the mayoral candidates' nomination and screening process and that candidates with postgraduate qualifications would be prioritised.

According to the ANC, for someone to be eligible to be a mayor, they must possess a tertiary qualification, have at least five years of local government experience or any other experience from government, or leadership at an executive level in any non-government institution.

In his letter, Mbalula wrote:

He added: "In the event that such a proposal is agreed to, or that a vacancy arises for another reason, the relevant PEC should forward the names of three candidates who meet the attached criteria. The Office of the Secretary-General will constitute a panel consisting of NEC members, with PEC observers, to conduct interviews with the proposed candidates. The outcome of the interview panel will be tabled for consideration by the NWC and/or NEC, taking into account the urgency of the matter."

In recent months, at least three ANC mayors have been recalled by provincial structures.In January, the then ANC Free State interim provincial committee recalled Mangaung mayor, Mxolisi Siyonzana; this was also after the national leadership of the party had spoken out about the poor state of that metro when it visited the province during the party's 8 January statement.

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Meanwhile, in the Eastern Cape, the PEC recalled Xola Pakati as Buffalo City mayor in March and replaced her with Princess Faku.

Pakati was not happy about his sacking, and according to the Mail & Guardian, he had written a letter to the ANC's top seven officials alleging that Eastern Cape provincial secretary, Lulama Ngcukayitobi, had ambushed him at a party meeting and told him that he had been recalled. 

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Pakati, according to the Mail & Guardian, said he had not been given any reason why he had been recalled.

In June, the Mpumalanga PEC recalled the mayor of Emalahleni, Conny Nkalitshana, following violent protests in that area over service delivery. In one protest, community members stoned her for making unsavoury remarks about their plight.

The North West PEC also had plans to recall several mayors in that province after its election, but that has yet to happen.