Durban – The appointment of former eThekwini mayor Zandile Gumede to the KZN provincial legislature has been labelled as “shameful” and the governing party has been accused of making another “disgraceful” move.
But the embattled Gumede, who is facing a litany of serious criminal charges, including corruption, money-laundering and fraud for her alleged involvement in a R430 million Durban Solid Waste tender dating to 2016, brushed off the criticism yesterday.
She said she was “born to be a leader” and was looking forward to embracing her new role in government.
Gumede was sworn in as a Member of the Provincial Legislature (MPL) on Wednesday, taking the place of former ANC KZN spokesperson, Ricardo Mthembu, who died of Covid-19 in July.
Her swearing-in ceremony, conducted by Speaker of the legislature Nontembeko Boyce, was streamed live on the KZN legislature’s Facebook page.
Speaking to The Mercury last night, Gumede had few words for her detractors, saying she was excited about her new position and would use the opportunity to “prove herself”.
“I have always lived my life knowing that the truth will always overcome lies. Surely the truth will come out in this matter as well. In the meantime, I am looking forward to working with my fellow members in the provincial legislature,” Gumede said.
She warned that society should not be “consumed” by what they saw in the media and she was innocent until proven otherwise.
“To my detractors, don’t speculate on what you don’t know. Rather leave it with the ANC and the law to deal with.
“I am thankful to my party for entrusting me with this position. I was born to be a leader,” Gumede said.
Provincial spokesperson for the ANC, Nhlakanipho Ntombela, welcomed Gumede’s appointment, saying that “as a firm believer in woman empowerment”, the party was confident Gumede would be a “worthwhile” addition to the legislature.
“The ANC KZN is fully aware of detractors who will seek to use Comrade Gumede’s ongoing court case to criticise the appointment. However, we subscribe to the notion of innocent until proven guilty and, as such, there is nothing untoward about the appointment of Comrade Gumede,” Ntombela said.
Although he denied there was anything untoward about her appointment, the ANC has been accused of deploying Gumede to the KZN legislature as a “containment strategy”.
Political analyst Imraan Buccus said there seemed to be no rational reason to Gumede’s appointment “on the face of it”. However, he said, it could be seen as a calculated containment strategy.
Buccus said the reality was that the decision was made purely in the interest of the ANC.
“We have reached a point where the ANC sees itself as society and society as the ANC. I am also disappointed in the argument that she is innocent until proven guilty. While that may be true in law, it also shows that the ethical base of the ANC has eroded significantly,” Buccus said.
He foresaw that this latest decision to contain Gumede within the ranks could cost the party at the polls.
“I am certain that society is becoming tired of the containment strategies by the ANC. The cost to society is just too high and unjustified,” Buccus added.
The DA’s caucus leader in eThekwini, Nicole Graham, said they were “disgusted” by the ANC’s move to elect Gumede to a “cushy seat” in the KZN legislature.
Graham said that Gumede, who served as eThekwini’s mayor from 2016 to 2019, brought the municipality to its knees.
She maintained Gumede continued to have a grip on eThekwini’s politics and purse despite being demoted to an ordinary councillor.
“The 62 councillors who were named in court as having worked with Gumede have also not been suspended, despite four of them being arrested,” she said.
“It is obvious that the former mayor is a powerful figure in the ANC who has protection in high places. Why else would she earn a promotion back to the legislature when her absolutely disgraceful behaviour is so clear for all to see? The ANC has no intention of rooting out corruption or holding its own who do wrong to account,” Graham said.
She added that Gumede’s appointment was also a slap in the face of every resident of KZN, who now had to foot the bill for Gumede’s lifestyle.
Leader of the IFP, Velenkosini Hlabisa, said this was a clear demonstration the ANC was not honest in fighting corruption and state looting, as Gumede’s appointment was a sharp contradiction to what the party preached.
“It is the tendency of the ruling party that people who are facing disciplinary actions or court cases on serious charges will be moved from one department to the other, if not from one level of government to the other,” he said.
Hlabisa said Gumede’s appointment made a “mockery” of the KZN legislature and the people of the province.
“This appointment does not enhance the legislature and the people of KZN should know that the ruling party in this province is the custodian of corruption and leaders with serious corruption allegations. If the ANC took the people of KZN seriously, it would allow Zandile Gumede to clear herself of the dark cloud over her head before such an appointment is done,” Hlabisa said.
Gumede is expected to appear in the Durban Regional Court on September 10 after the State requested more time at the last appearance. The court had given them six weeks to consolidate their investigations.
Mercury