With reference to the fact that (a) a certain councillor, Bhelekazi Mabandla, for Ward 27 in the Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality, has only attended one council meeting since the 2016 Local Government Election, (b) the Buffalo City Council resolved on 28 February 2017 to refer the matter to the MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs in the Eastern Cape, following a decision that the specified councillor had breached the Code of Conduct for Municipal Councillors, and (c) media reports indicate that the councillor had resigned in August 2016, why has a vacancy not been declared in the specified ward;
(2) Did the municipality inform the Independent Electoral Commission of the situation; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details; and
(3) Whether the councillor received any remuneration after 28 February 2017; if so, (a) what is the total amount that was paid to the councillor since 1 March 2017 to date, and (b) on what statutory and/or contractual grounds were the specified payments made?