Durban - The mayor of uMzumbe municipality on the KZN south coast, Sizwe Ngcobo, would next week vacate his local position for a bigger one as Ugu district mayor, a move seen in party circles as giving him an advantage over his opponents ahead of the much anticipated ANC's Lower South Coast regional conference.
In a statement issued on Friday morning, Ngcobo said he will hold his position until September 26, 2019 and thereafter leave for a new deployment.
The municipal statement further said the resignation of Ngcobo who has been a councillor for almost 20 years, has already been accepted by the council in charge of the municipality.
However, there were speculations that he was being pushed out of his position ahead of the regional elective conference billed to take place before December this year. But other party insiders said he was being moved to take over the vacant position of Ugu district municipality mayor which was left vacant by Mondli Chiliza in May this year when he became a member of the KZN legislature under the banner of the ANC.
The pending deployment of Ngcobo as Ugu mayor was confirmed by the spokesperson of the ANC in KZN, Ricardo Mthembu, who told Independent Media that Ngcobo will take the position soon.
"Yes he is going take over as the mayor of Ugu district municipality, Mthembu said briefly.
Ngcobo's sudden promotion to hold forth is seen as some in the party as trying to give him an advantage over his controversial opponent for the position of regional chair, Xolani Luthuli, the former municipal manager of Umdoni (uMzinto) municipality in the south coast of the province.
Luthuli who was once a regional executive member (REC) caused a stir when he allegedly contravened the municipal systems act when he held an executive position while being a politician.
He was later followed by corruption allegations which were later not proven in court by his detractors, suspended and later reinstated in his position.