Durban - The ANC in eThekwini was apparently planning to remove Mxolisi Kaunda as Durban mayor as the regional leadership consolidates its power in a build-up to the 2024 general elections.
This was supposedly being done to regain lost votes ahead of the local government elections. Several reliable sources have confirmed that talks were being held in secret with the newly appointed provincial executive committee (PEC).
While the ANC has vehemently denied the clandestine discussions, the sources said negotiations have begun and a final decision will be made soon. The basis of Kaunda’s proposed removal, said sources, was a result of internal factions and the fact that he was not part of the regional leadership. Kaunda took over as a caretaker after former mayor Zandile Gumede and her executive council were removed in 2018.
The former MEC for the KZN Department of Transport was brought in by the PEC to stabilise the municipality which was rocked by corruption scandals following the arrest of Gumede.
After the 2021 local government election, the ANC was forced to keep him on as the regional elective conference to elect new leadership was pending. A source told the Sunday Tribune that it was logical for Kaunda to be removed to allow the new leadership to take over and implement the region’s resolution.
The source stated that Kaunda is a PEC member, a higher structure of the ANC, which has made it difficult to challenge some of his decisions where necessary, according to the party’s protocol.
“It has been agreed that the region needs a substitution to drive its policies and campaigns for the 2024 elections. He was deployed by the former PEC, which is also no longer in power. He came when the eThekwini Regional Executive Committee was disbanded and the former mayor was removed. Now, there is no vacuum in leadership.
There is a regional structure which we believe can lead the municipality and implement resolutions,” a source said. The call to remove Kaunda could have been influenced by the changes in the provincial leadership of the ANC which saw Sihle Zikalala removed by provincial chairperson Siboniso Duma.
Duma belonged to the Taliban slate that made a clean sweep during the elective conference in July. Kaunda was believed to be associated with the Ankole slate, which supported Zikalala, who lost the conference.
eThekwini, which is the biggest ANC region in the country, supported the Taliban slate. Another source said while the issue of slates was not the reason, the eThekwini leadership wanted to take full responsibility for service delivery and be able to account to the voters.
He said Kaunda would not be part of the election campaigns for eThekwini, adding that as a PEC member he could be deployed elsewhere in the province.
“If you recall, during the last election he was deployed to the lower south coast as a PEC member. So it does not make sense to have him as a mayor while we have new leadership that has the responsibility of implementing the party’s branch mandate,” he said. The sources further revealed that three people have been suggested as potential candidates for the next mayor.
They were Thembo Ntuli, deputy chairperson of the regional executive committee who has since occupied the chairperson role in the absence of Gumede, Nkosenhle Madlala, the deputy secretary and chairperson of the Governance and Human Capital Committee and Zama Sokhabase, a former eThekwini exco member, presently a PR councillor.
While the ANC has the prerogative to change its mayors, it would have to lobby other smaller parties they govern with, to replace Kaunda. The ANC was able to retain the eThekwini municipality after Philani Mavundla, president of ABC, formed a coalition with the ANC in exchange for the position of deputy mayor. Mavundla said there have not been any formal discussions with the ANC about changing the mayor.
However, Musa Nciki, the ANC eThekwini regional secretary, dismissed the allegation. He referred to former mayors such as Obed Mlaba and James Nxumalo who he said led while they were not in the regional structures. “We have noted great co-operation from the mayor.
There is no plan to make any changes. Obviously, there is accountability and political guidance that the mayor gets from the region. But I must note that we have not experienced any challenges with that,” he said. Mafika Mndebele, ANC provincial spokesperson, also denied the plan. “The provincial leadership is not aware of such changes nor knowledge of such,” said Mndebele.
Mluleki Mntungwa, Kaunda’s spokesperson, said they would not comment on the matter. Political analyst Thabani Khumalo, said the claims of Kaunda’s removal were unsurprising as the new leadership was trying to consolidate power. He said they would need a mayor of their own who had been chosen by their branches.
“Kaunda was imposed by the province and was aligned to the Zikalala slate. There is a lack of trust which cannot be sustained in politics. So the rumours are likely to be true,” he said.
SUNDAY TRIBUNE