Former KwaDukuza mayor hailed as a firebrand

ACTING mayor of KwaDukuza Municipality, Cllr Dolly Govender, has described the recent passing of former mayor, Ricardo Mthembu, as a huge loss to both the community of KwaDukuza and the KZN provincial government, where he was deployed as a member of the KZN Legislature.

Mthembu died in a Durban hospital last week after contracting the Covid-19 virus and was laid to rest in KwaDukuza at the weekend.

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‘His departure leaves a void. Under his stewardship, we were regarded among the best-run municipalities in South Africa.

‘We received six national and international accolades for various projects. Accountability and good governance was a trademark of his tenures, with the municipality achieving healthy audits and holding the fairest possible credit rating for local government,’ Govender said.

Mthembu became an ANC member at the age of 16 during the struggle for freedom and has served his party and its youth wing, the ANC Youth League, in various capacities.

His formal career in politics began in 2000 when he became the councillor of the then Ward 9 in KwaDukuza.

He went on to become a PR councillor since 2006, serving in various portfolio committees.

In 2018, he founded the Njabulo Ricardo Charity Foundation with a mission to confront and address social ills within vulnerable and disadvantaged communities, as well as unlocking economic empowerment opportunities for the youth.

Mthembu was elected to the KZN Legislature in May last year and was subsequently elected as chairperson of the Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA) committee.

At the time of his passing, he was the KZN provincial spokesperson of the ANC and a provincial executive committee member.

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