Sihle Mavuso presents the latest news from KwaZulu-Natal.
Newcastle – An ANC ward councillor in Newcastle in northern KwaZulu-Natal has dumped the governing party and joined the uMkhonto Wesizwe party led by former president Jacob Zuma. Nontethelelo Khumalo from Ward 5 resigned on Thursday. In a letter addressed to the regional leadership and her branch, she wrote. “After intensive consultation with close comrades, friends and family, I have decided to resign as both a member of the ANC and a councillor of Ward 5. I will continue with my activism duties as a new member of [the] uMkhonto Wesizwe MK Party.”
Durban – The Abantu Batho Congress (ABC) has given a glimpse of what its manifesto for the upcoming elections will look like. In Durban today the party officially announced its president, Philani Mavundla, as its premier candidate for KwaZulu-Natal. The party also highlighted how it intends to revive the once-lucrative textile and poultry sectors in the province. It said it is committed to addressing water and sanitation challenges head-on by prioritising tackling the infrastructure backlog to ensure sustainable access to clean water and improved sanitation for all residents.
Newcastle – The IFP is very happy with its victory in by-elections in Newcastle where it snatched three wards from the governing ANC on Wednesday. The party said the victory had bolstered its confidence ahead of the provincial and general elections set for 29 May this year. “As we approach the elections, these victories in the by-elections bolster our confidence and reaffirm our commitment to delivering meaningful change for the people of KwaZulu-Natal. We are energised and determined to build on this momentum, as we continue towards our goal of rebuilding KwaZulu-Natal and South Africa,” the party’s chairperson in the province, Thami Ntuli, said.
Mandeni – The Umfolozi TVET College has defended its decision to suspend some members of the Students Representative Council at its KwaDukuza campus. The college said the decision was not motivated by vindictiveness, but by the need to restore order after the members allegedly organised a picket without following proper procedures. The college said the matter of the suspended members would be heard on Monday. The marketing manager of the college, Bhekani Ndlovu, also clarified that all their eight campuses are now operating after a brief disruption in the past few days over a litany of issues including a shortage of textbooks. Ndlovu said the issue of textbooks has been partially resolved.
Durban – A former police captain appeared in the Pinetown Magistrate’s Court for obstructing the course of justice and the unauthorised removal of an inmate from a correctional service centre. On 17 April 2020, Nokulunga Gumede, 59, while stationed at the KwaMakhutha SAPS, abused her powers when she went to Westville prison and booked out her biological son without proper court documents or the knowledge of the investigating officer. Her son had been detained for assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.
Pictured above: ANC flag.
Image source: File
