DURBAN - AS SEVERAL councils go on festive season recess, there are concerns that the Ray Nkonyeni Municipality on the KwaZulu-Natal South Coast could be rendered chaotic if office-bearers, including the mayor and executive committee members, are not elected swiftly.
The leadership vacuum was sparked by a group of ANC supporters from the Lower South Coast Region who barged into a council sitting, bringing an abrupt end to proceedings before office bearers could be elected last week.
ANC members are divided over who should be the mayor, with some calling for Skhumbuzo “Zero” Mqadi to lead the municipality, while others want Sibusiso Shange to be at the helm.
This means that the last time the municipality had a mayor was during Nomusa Mqwebu’s era, before last month’s local government elections.
The absence of an executive committee (Exco) places the municipality in a difficult position, especially if there was to be an emergency that demanded swift action from the municipal leadership. There are fears that the current state of affairs may also result in an intervention from KZN Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) MEC Sipho Hlomuka.
The prospect of a rudderless municipality has prompted the ANC’s provincial leadership to move with urgency to address the impasse with the assistance of the regional leadership.
Lower South Coast regional co-ordinator Xolani Luthuli said that meetings were taking place to end the stalemate at the municipality.
Cogta spokesperson Senzelwe Mzila expressed the department’s disappointment over the developments at the municipality. “The MEC has requested a report from the speaker of the Ray Nkonyeni Municipality on the circumstances surrounding the failure by the council to elect the office bearers,” said Mzila, adding that in its first sitting, the council was able to swear-in all the elected councillors and managed to elect only the speaker.
“Unfortunately, the council failed to elect the office bearers which are the mayor, deputy mayor, the council whip and deal with the nomination of executive committee members,” Mzila said.
He pointed out that the department would receive a detailed response from the municipality which would provide reasons for the failure to comply with section 45 of the Structures Act.
“Normally, the municipality had to comply with the 14-day deadline following the gazetting of the election results,” said Mzila in a reference to the constituting of councils and election of office bearers.
DA chief whip in the KZN Legislature Zwakele Mncwango said it was a problem that the ANC squabbles had now spilled over, threatening to interrupt the work of the municipality. He called on the ANC to resolve its squabbles so that service delivery was not affected.
“Equally, MEC Hlomuka should be bold enough and take a decision on the matter without being seen to be taking sides because it is known that factional battles are rife in the ANC,” said Mncwango.
He insisted that it was up to the MEC to see to it that the council functions properly and provides services to local residents.
Ray Nkonyeni is one of the strategically located councils on the coast boasting small towns such as Hibberdene, Margate, Port Edward and Port Shepstone and is a favourite among tourists especially during the holidays.
Meanwhile, ANC KZN spokesperson Nhlakanipho Ntombela has confirmed that three regions would hold elective conferences this coming weekend, in a move that is seen as crucial in bringing stability to the ruling party in the province.
“General Gizenga Mpanza, Moses Mabhida and Josiah Gumede will all have their regional conferences this weekend,” said Ntombela. There have been concerns that instability in regions had influenced the political fortunes of the ruling party.
Some ANC members who visited former president Jacob Zuma at his home in Nkandla last week told of how he had impressed upon them to focus on rebuilding the governing party, to ensure that there were permanent structures.
In many parts of KZN, the ANC has Regional Task Teams which are interim structures with limited powers compared to regional executive committees.
THE MERCURY