The sister of ANC heavyweight Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, Hlobisile Dlamini, whose swearing in as KwaZulu-Natal MPL was put on hold in August to allow corruption-accused Zandile Gumede to fill the vacant MPL position, was finally sworn in on Wednesday.
According to the ANC list, Dlamini should have been sworn in three months ago following the death of ANC provincial spokesperson and MPL Ricardo Mthembu in August.
However, the ANC provincial leadership overlooked Dlamini and brought in Gumede, who at the time was an ordinary eThekwini Municipality councillor following the party’s decision to remove her as mayor.
Gumede is currently facing criminal charges in connection with her role in the controversial multimillion rand eThekwini Municipality solid waste tenders.
ALSO READ | Former eThekwini mayor Zandile Gumede could be on her way back to the legislature
While Gumede has since been suspended by the ANC provincial leadership in line with the party’s directive that members facing criminal charges should step aside, the MPL vacancy filled by Dlamini was created as a result of the passing of the provincial legislature Deputy Speaker, Mluleki Ndobe early this month.
A former deputy chairperson of the ANC in the Far North region, Dlamini served as the party’s MPL in the previous term.
However, after last year’s national and provincial elections, Dlamini did not immediately return to the provincial legislature as the ANC had received fewer seats than in the 2014 provincial elections.
The ANC in the province on Wednesday welcomed Dlamini’s swearing in.
ALSO READ | KZN ANC spokesperson Mthembu dies from Covid-19
Dlamini was sworn in by KZN Legislature Speaker, Nontembeko Boyce.
The provincial legislature will hold a sitting at the Royal Show Grounds on Thursday (Thursday November 26) to elect a new Deputy Speaker who would replace Ndobe.
While opposition parties have the right to put forward their own candidate, it is the ANC candidate who is expected to be elected given that the ruling party has superior numbers in the legislature.