Durban - The ANC in KwaZulu-Natal has taken a zero-tolerance approach to ill-discipline within its ranks moving swiftly to suspend 14 party members including councillors for protests in Durban and Pietermaritzburg in recent weeks.
The party members and councillors were suspended for storming meetings and protesting the suspension of Zandile Gumede who was axed as mayor for eThekwini Municipality.
ANC KZN provincial secretary Mdumiseni Ntuli said that those who were suspended had brought the party into disrepute and left the ANC with no choice but to suspend them.
He said did not want to reveal the names of those suspended but said it consisted of both councillors and ordinary party members.
It came after backers of Gumede brought parts of the Durban city centre to standstill earlier this month when they demanded she be re-instated as mayor.
Earlier this month, the ANC in KZN fired the entire eThekwini Municipality executive committee including mayor Gumede and her deputy, Fawzia Peer.
The party also axed Msunduzi mayor, Themba Njilo. The party said they were being "redeployed".
On Thursday the ANC announced that the current KZN MEC for Transport, Safety and Community Liaison Mxolisi Kaunda will become mayor of eThekwini. His deputy will be former KZN MEC for Finance Belinda Scott. The new eThekwini speaker will be former KZN Social Development MEC Weziwe Thusi.
In Pietermaritzburg, (Msunduzi) the ANC has appointed Mzimkhulu Thobella as mayor and Manillall Indurjith as deputy mayor.