Lungani Zungu
In line with President Cyril Ramaphosa’s plan to rid the ANC of tainted figures, one of his loyal backers was dropped from the election list due to the criminal changes he faces.
Newcastle Mayor Dr Ntuthuko Mahlaba will no longer be the party’s mayoral candidate for the third-largest city in KwaZulu Natal.
This was announced by ANC deputy secretary-general Jessie Duarte on Monday.
This is a blow for Mahlaba’s political career. He is also the regional ANC chairperson in the eMalahleni region of northern KZN.
To woo voters, Duarte said, the party will only pick credible people to represent them at the polls.
Mahlaba and his bodyguards allegedly assaulted an optic fibre installer last year in Newcastle. They face charges of theft, malicious damage to property and assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.
He is expected back in court on Thursday.
Even before this scandal, Mahlaba was no stranger to controversy.
In 2019, he was taken into police custody for the murder of ANC Youth League (ANCYL) leader Wandile Ngubeni. But the charges against him were later withdrawn.
In another incident, Mahlaba appeared in a video (that went viral in 2019) physically exchanging blows with municipal workers who were on strike over late payment of salaries.
It is not known at this stage who will be the ANC mayoral candidates as the party said it would announce them closer to the elections.
Repeated attempts to get a comment from Mahlaba were unsuccessful.
Another person who got the chop was the Nkangala Mayor Thembi Masilela, over the R248,000 corruption scandal she was allegedly part of.
ANC spokesperson Nhlakanipho Ntombela said the party had received some disputes from its members.
They will deal with the disputes internally, he said.
The IEC announced on Tuesday that it had received the candidates’ lists from political parties who will contest the elections.
Initially, the elections were expected to take place on 27 October, but the IEC asked teh Constitutional Court for a postponement until February next year due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The ConCourt has yet to make a ruling.
Image source: Isambane
