SIYABUSWA, April (ANA) - Suspended Economic Freedom Fighters Mpumalanga secretary Alfred Skhosana - who was suspended by his party for allegedly submitting a shoddy organisational report - said on Saturday he was defiantly serving communities in his capacity as a member of the provincial legislature (MPL) because his party did not inform the legislature about his suspension.
Skhosana was suspended on February 28 and faced a disciplinary hearing at the EFF’s head office in Braamfontein, Johannesburg, on March 16. He told the African News Agency (ANA) that he was doing his constituency work as an MPL in the Nkangala region because the legislature might take action against him if he did not.
“There are conditions in my suspension that do not allow me to do legislature work, but I have to do it because the legislature might take an action against me. I’m paid by the legislature as an MPL, not the EFF. I visit people on the ground and listen to their problems,” he said.
Skhosana addressed a crowd of about 100 community members at the Siyabuswa Community Hall on Freedom Day. He said the gathering was part of his constituency work as an MPL. The issues he discussed with community members included service delivery problems and some political matters affecting the community. He later visited the home of Ndebele traditional leader chief Piet Mahlangu in the same village, where he interacted with him and several other traditional leaders. Another traditional leader, chief Johannes Mahlangu, expressed concern at the suspension of Skhosana.
“He is like our child, just like any other children of this area, and we don’t want to see him feeling unhappy,” said Mahlangu.
However, deputy speaker of the legislature Violet Siwela told ANA on Saturday that the EFF informed the legislature last week about Skhosana’s suspension. “They informed us through a letter and that’s all I can say,” said Siwela.
EFF provincial chairman Collen Sedibe said Skhosana was not allowed to address any gathering as an EFF MPL pending the outcome of his disciplinary hearing.
- African News Agency (ANA)
