Mxolisi Kaunda is officially Durban's new mayor

Mxolisi Kaunda

Mxolisi Kaunda

Published Sep 5, 2019

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Durban - After more than two months of political wrangling, suspensions, forced resignations and protests, Mxolisi Kaunda was finally sworn in as mayor of eThekwini Municipality on Thursday.

His deputy will be former Finance MEC Belinda Scott and the new speak of the municipality, Weziwe Thusi.

The swearing-in on Thursday took place after the national ANC told former mayor Zandile Gumede that the decision by the province to remove her from her position would hold. Gumede along with the entire executive committee of eThekwini Municipality were forced to resign by the provincial ANC.

%%%twitter https://twitter.com/IOL?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@IOL @DailyNewsSA @IECSouthAfrica has the voting was free and fair and also credible.

The voting tally is as follow

Mayor:

Mxolisi Kaunda-108 @NicoleGraham031-82

Deputy Mayor

ANC Belinda Scott- 115

DA -Thabani Mthethwa-81

Chief whip

ANC Mkhize-126

AIC- Mhlanga-74

— mphathi (@mphathinxumalo)

This after last week's full council meeting that was meant to swear in Kaunda and the new executive was postponed at the last minute after Gumede withdrew her resignation.

Jessie Duarte, the ANC deputy secretary-general met with more than 100 councillors from the municipality this week to inform them that the matter of Gumede had been put to bed, 

“The task is to rebuild the integrity of the city, get all the sections, proper administrative sections, to work properly; get the collection system up and running, make sure that the waste management is handled properly, water provision is handled properly and deal with the issues outstanding with regard to Eskom,” she said.

Pulling no punches, the chairperson of the ANC in KZN, Sihle Zikalala, said the municipality was not doing well under Gumede, saying even giving it a 30% mark would have been an exaggeration.

He hinted that the axing of Gumede and the entire exco was the beginning of the clean up, and officials would follow shortly.

Daily News

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