Sihle Mavuso presents the latest news from KwaZulu-Natal.
Greytown – Longtime political rivals the IFP and ANC have formed a rare unified front to co-govern the Umvoti local municipality in Greytown. This happened on Tuesday when the two parties first teamed up to oust Philani “PG” Mavundla as the mayor and Mfundo Masondo as the speaker. Both Mavundla and Masondo are from the Abantu Batho Congress. Since there was no outright winner after the November 2021 elections, the IFP was given the mayoral position, while Ntombi Ngubane, the chairperson of the ANC in the region, was given the speaker’s position.
Mount Edgecombe – Workers at SG Convenience, a trucking company with operations in Durban, downed tools on Monday. The workers, who belong to the Dynamic People’s Union of South Africa, have tabled 16 demands to the management. Among them are a 15% salary increase, a bonus to be paid out every November, a danger allowance of R500, and truck escorts as there is a rise in truck hijackings in the country.
KwaMashu – IFP leaders have repeated their promise that if their party is elected to lead KwaZulu-Natal after the May 29 elections, they will disband the eThekwini and Msunduzi (Pietermaritzburg) councils and call fresh elections so that the residents of these cities can elect a new and capable leadership. The latest leader to make the undertaking was Prince Ndabuko Zulu while campaigning in the township of KwaMashu. Zulu said the township is badly looked after, and sewage spills everywhere. He blamed the “incapable” ANC leadership for the mess.
Vryheid – The chief whip of the National Freedom Party, councillor Siphamandla Ntombela, has raised concerns regarding the failure of the speaker of the Abaqulusi local municipality, Nonkulukelo Ndlela, to arrange a sitting of the council so that his party can make changes. Ntombela said they had written several letters requesting the sitting, but Ndlela defied them. The failure, Ntombela says, prevented them from fielding new councillors and later taking over the municipality and the Zululand district municipality. He also alleged that they wrote to the KZN cooperative governance and traditional affairs department to intervene, but it did not respond to their request.
eThekwini – The controversial mayor of eThekwini municipality, Mxolisi Kaunda, says he is suing Thami Ntuli of the IFP over his comments in Umlazi on Sunday. While addressing a party rally as its premier candidate for KZN, Ntuli said they would disband the eThekwini council and remove its “corrupt mayor” and his colleagues. Kaunda has not taken kindly to the jibe, serving Ntuli with a summons to retract the statement within seven days or be sued. Ntuli has yet to comment on the matter.
Pictured above: The IFP and the ANC are now co-governing the Umvoti local municipality.
Image source: Sihle Mavuso
