DURBAN - THE governing party in KwaZulu-Natal will start grilling its potential mayors following a difficult election in which it lost some wards and municipalities.
A list circulating on social media shows that the contest for the position of mayor of eThekwini Metro is a three-horse race between current mayor Mxolisi Kaunda, Thabani Nyawose and Zama Sokhabase, while in Msunduzi Municipality current mayor Mzi Thebolla is up against Jabu Ngubo and Rudolph Madlala for the top position.
ANC KZN spokesperson Nhlakanipho Ntombela confirmed that the party had held its Provincial Executive Committee yesterday, where the candidate mayors’ nominations process was discussed. Asked when the candidates would be interviewed, Ntombela indicated this would take place this week, but would not give the date.
The elections outcome was also set to be discussed at yesterday’s meeting, with provincial secretary Mdumiseni Ntuli expected to provide a frank report on the governing party’s poor performance, where it lost some municipalities, including uMngeni Municipality, to the DA for the first time, and saw its majority shrink to under 50% in eThekwini Municipality.
Supporters of the radical economic transformation (RET) grouping within the ANC expressed satisfaction at seeing their candidates in Kaunda and Sokhabase considered for top position.
The RET faction, seen as being aligned to former president Jacob Zuma and former mayor Zandile Gumede, has been in a turf war with the Rebuild, Renew, Unite (RRU) faction, which is seen to be aligned to President Cyril Ramaphosa.
“Our position is that a mayoral candidate should be someone who is active in their branch voting area. In this instance, both Kaunda and Sokhabase won in their respective wards and secured an ANC victory in them, and that is a reflection of leadership and activism,” said Njabulo Mchunu from the RET grouping.
He said Kaunda had demonstrated true leadership in steadying the municipality when he was deployed by the provincial leadership after problems that prompted changes at the political leadership in the municipality in 2019.
The grouping had been unhappy when Nyawose’s name appeared on top of the ANC’s proportional representation list that was published before the elections, alleging that the list had been compromised to allow for his elevation instead of Sokhabase.
“We are confident our comrades are going to make the cut,” said Mchunu.
However the RRU grouping was equally optimistic about Nyawose’s chances of getting the top job, saying they had key backers in the provincial and national leadership structures.
“We have every confidence that Comrade Nyawose will emerge victorious from the contest,” said a backer.
He added that while Kaunda had done a good job at the helm when the municipality was faced with political upheaval, he had been found wanting in his handling of the July unrest, and this was likely to affect his assessment.
One ANC source indicated that mayoral candidates for metros would be interviewed by the party’s Top Six on Friday.
THE MERCURY