Matatiele's future tied to opposition party's Zuma vote

The African Independent Congress would have to vote to protect President Jacob Zuma against the proposed motion of no confidence in parliament as a condition for the ANC agreeing to reincorporate Matatiele into KwaZulu-Natal.

This is one stipulation introduced by the ANC in negotiations between itself and the AIC over a possible deal to move the Eastern Cape municipality back into KwaZulu-Natal.

The condition is one of several in a yet-to-be-signed memorandum of agreement that was presented by an ANC delegation at a meeting with the AIC in Mount Ayliff, Eastern Cape, on Thursday.

Municipal demarcation is a political hot potato in several areas of South Africa, including Vuwani in Limpopo, where a community has wreaked havoc, destroying public property and disrupting schooling.

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The Matatiele arrangement is set to raise eyebrows as the ANC appears to be willing to bend over backwards to accommodate AIC demands, even in the absence of mass public support.

AIC spokesman Aubrey Mhlongo said that whether the AIC voted with the ANC during the coming motion of no confidence would depend on whether a pact had been signed.

"But it doesn't mean that we will be with them if we don't agree with them on certain issues. We had an NEC [national executive committee meeting] and it was decided that the members [of the AIC] in the National Assembly will have to choose among themselves which way they vote, but they will have to warn the ANC beforehand. We can't surprise them," said Mhlongo.

ANC secretary-general Gwede Mantashe declined to comment, saying "things are not at a stage where we can talk in public".

The agreement is crucial for the ANC to retain power in Ekurhuleni and Rustenburg municipalities, which fell into the ruling party's hands after it entered into a coalition with the AIC after the last local government elections.

The AIC threatened to withdraw from these coalitions unless a deal was signed by March 31, but has not carried out the threat despite the deadline passing.

The party has again threatened to pull out if a deal is not finalised during a meeting scheduled for tomorrow.

In the memorandum, the ANC, which was represented this week by Mantashe and head of policy Jeff Radebe, stated that the AIC's co-operation would further the national interests.

block_quotes_start It was decided that the members [of the AIC] in the National Assembly will have to choose among themselves which way they vote, but they will have to warn the ANC beforehand. We can't surprise them block_quotes_end

"To maintain the spirit of furthering the national interests, which underpins this agreement, the AIC undertakes to support and work closely with the ANC in the National Assembly and in those municipalities where it has representation," the memo reads.

The Sunday Times understands the top six officials of both the ANC and the AIC are set to meet tomorrow after Thursday's talks deadlocked, stalling hopes of an announcement of a final agreement.

Points of disagreement include the ANC's insistence that a fresh round of public consultation be held prior to final approval of the reincorporation. The ANC also wants the AIC to participate in the consultation.

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According to the unsigned memorandum, the ANC wants both parties to:

• Engage in a public consultative process to canvass the views of residents and ratepayers of Matatiele about reincorporation into KwaZulu-Natal;

• Respect the views of the community after the consultative conference;

• Lobby the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal legislatures to ensure legal compliance;

• Ensure the support of political parties in both provinces to support the reincorporation; and

Lobby MPs to support it.

But the AIC is opposed to any new consultation. "They want the AIC to be part of new consultations but we said consultations have already taken place," said Mhlongo. "They should release those results. If they are not committing by Monday [tomorrow], we will make sure this coalition arrangement does not work.

"Talks have deadlocked. We couldn't finish and there were issues we couldn't agree on. So we decided to postpone the meeting to Monday in Durban. The top six of both parties will meet to finalise this matter," Mhlongo said.