Opposition parties in KwaDukuza are jostling for power in the wake of a mayoral election delay, but little coalition progress has been made.

As reported by the Courier, the provincial African National Congress (ANC) was expected to re-appoint former KwaDukuza mayor Lindile Nhaca as their mayoral candidate in a council election last Thursday. The election was postponed at the last minute however, reportedly at the insistence of the party’s national executive committee (NEC) to follow formal appointment procedures.

According to ANC regional task team spokesperson, Lucky Makhathini, provincial party leadership initially deemed it unnecessary to conduct interviews given the mayoral experience of Nhaca and the other potential candidate Sduduzo Gumede – a former mayor in iLembe.

“However, the NEC stated that regardless of their experience, all due processes must be followed. Once everything is finalised, the inauguration date will be announced,” said Makhathini.
Gumede was sworn in as a councillor last week and attended his first council meeting on Thursday. He replaced ANC PR councillor Promise Dube, who previously served as the Ward 20 councillor. A new date for the mayoral election is yet to be confirmed.

Nhaca was removed from office in September last year through a vote of no confidence. At the time, the ANC indicated she would face disciplinary action. Makhathini confirmed that to his knowledge, Nhaca’s name had been cleared, although a formal report confirming this has not yet been presented.

A mayoral candidate is appointed by their party but must be elected by a majority in council. In KwaDukuza, 28 of 59 seats are held by the ANC after losing one seat to the uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MKP). In theory, an opposition coalition of 30 of the remaining 31 seats could take power.

Also read: UPDATE: Former KDM mayor Lindile Nhaca expected to be reinstated, official election postponed

To that end, Democratic Alliance (DA) caucus leader Privi Makhan sent a letter to opposition parties urging them to vote for their mayoral candidate, framing the election as a chance to establish stable governance. As part of its proposal, the DA has offered to support the appointment of a deputy-mayor from among the broader opposition bloc.

“This is not a call for political convenience. The numbers show that together, we can change the direction of KwaDukuza. Let us not squander this opportunity,” said Makhan.

Makhan’s proposal was taken as arrogance by some other members of the opposition, however. ActionSA caucus leader Nel Sewraj said it lacked an invitation to dialogue, while Independent Alliance leader Melisizwe Ntleko said the DA needed to first humble themselves before they would open discussions.

Elsewhere, Inkatha Freedom Party caucus leader Musa Sibisi and the African Transformation Movement’s Thulile Mkhize said they both awaited guidance from provincial leadership. Although Mkhize has previously voted with the ANC, her party has moved towards the MKP at provincial level.

For his part, MKP councillor Doeshiee Govender made his position clear, stating he would not support the DA.

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