DURBAN - ANC councillors in Ray Nkonyeni Municipality who want Sikhumbuzo Mqadi to be mayor said they would rather allow the mayoral position to go to the opposition if the party did not appoint him.
The municipality, which is based in Port Shepstone, is the only one operating without a mayor and deputy in the lower South Coast. This after factions continued to fight for power and did not agree on who should be the mayor.
The party national executive committee appointed Sibusiso Shange as mayor, but Mqadi supporters said they would never allow him to take over. During the first sitting two weeks ago, the council managed to elect a speaker. However, when it had to elect a mayor and deputy, the meeting collapsed after factions failed to agree on the name favoured by the NEC.
On Friday, the council meeting ended without electing a mayor and deputy because councillors supporting Mqadi rebelled again.
A councillor in Mqadi’s camp who asked not to be named said they would rather be governed by the opposition than allow the ANC to impose a mayor on them. The councillor said Mqadi was politically and administratively far senior than Shange and therefore they would never allow him to be mayor ahead of Mqadi.
He added that what caused more anger was that the ANC had never explained why Mqadi was not appointed after being interviewed for the position.
“Until the party leadership comes down to us and explains why Mqadi is being overlooked, this municipality will continue without a mayor. If it cannot be Mqadi, we will rather let the opposition appoint its own mayor,” said the councillor.
ANC regional task team convener, a position equivalent to the chairperson, Phumlile Mthiyane told the Daily News on Monday that although the NEC’s decision was final, they were still consulting with branches because installing Shange as mayor while there were still people complaining would cause endless protests.
She said branches must understand that it was national leadership that selected Shange, and the region and province had no powers to overturn the decision.
She also confirmed that the national leadership did not provide reasons for not appointing candidates after interviews. She said that as the region, they recommended three names of which Mqadi was a part, but the NEC requested that the region send another three of which Shange was a part, and he was eventually recommended by the NEC to be the mayor.
Mqadi was a school principal and had been working with Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs MEC Ravi Pillay since 2012, heading special projects in his office. He once led the South African Democratic Teachers’ Union as regional chairperson.
Attempts to contact Shange were unsuccessful, and Mqadi refused to comment.
Daily News