Lindiwe Nhaca returns as deputy mayor of KwaDukuza amid ANC shake-up
Image: supplied
In what appears to be a vote of confidence in all 28 current councillors of the ANC in KwaDukuza Local Municipality, the ANC is set to appoint former Ilembe District Municipality Sduduzo Gumede and former KwaDukuza mayor Lindiwe Nhaca as deputy mayor.
The council will hold a special meeting on Thursday to elect a new mayor and deputy mayor after a month-long uncertainty following the provincial leadership's decision earlier this month to sack mayor Ali Ngidi and his deputy Njabulo Cele.
The special meeting was confirmed by the regional task team coordinator Nkosenhle Mngadi. The special meeting was necessitated by Ngidi's resignation on Friday after hanging on, which many regarded as defiance, because the ANC had directed that by last week the mayor should have been elected.
'We can confirm that the council will hold a special meeting on Thursday where a new mayor and deputy mayor will be elected. We can also confirm the current mayor tendered his resignation letter on Friday,' said Mngadi.
He refused to be drawn into who the party would be fielding as candidates for the positions between Nhaca, Gumede and Dolly Govender as they were selected for the two vacant positions, however, reliable sources within the party, said the party has opted to bring back Gumede for the mayoral position as well as Nhaca for the deputy mayor position, thereby overlooking all 28 current councillors.
Gumede was a district mayor in 2016 until 2021 then disappeared into political wilderness.
Nhaca was unceremoniously kicked out of her mayoral position in November last year by Mtolo who replaced her with the ousted Ali Ngidi through a vote of no confidence after she defied Mtolo's orders to voluntarily resign.
In a surprise move, Nhaca's name was forwarded to the provincial's deployment committee alongside former Ilembe district Municipality mayor Siduduzo Gumede and current KwaDukuza Speaker Dolly Govender to choose the mayor from them.
On July 2, ANC provincial task team coordinator Mike Mabuyakhulu summoned the party caucus, where he presented the report and the recommendations of the team that the party had appointed in April to investigate the reported abuse of privileges by both Ngidi and Cele.
Besides removing the pair from their positions, the ANC also ordered them to pay back the money they splurged on luxury vehicles since assuming office in November without council approval. The report that was presented to council in April showed that from November to February the mayor had spent R497,180.10 while his deputy had spent R527,720.13 which meant the municipality was paying R17,590 on the vehicle hire.
Furthermore, the ANC ordered Ngidi to pay for the fuel used by for mayoral car which was used to transport his family, particularly his children to school.
Ngidi will also have to pay for the security firm that guarded his home which was also not approved by the council. It was reported that the Durban-based security company was billing the municipality R173,000 for eight guards that were stationed at the mayor's house day and night. It is not clear for how long the company had guarded his home.
[email protected]
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
IOL News
24 minutes ago
- IOL News
'Sick and tired of attending meaningless meetings with the ANC' -Solly Mapaila on why the SACP wants to contest elections
SA Communist Party general secretary Solly Mapaila has hinted that the party may contest the 2029 elections. Image: File SACP Secretary-General Solly Mapaila said plans are still on track for the party to contest the 2029 general elections alone, citing its frustration with holding meaningless meetings with its alliance party, the ANC. Speaking at the party's 104th birthday celebration in KwaDlangezwa community hall outside eMpangeni north of KwaZulu-Natal on Sunday, Mapaila said the 2022 congress resolution concluded that the party must contest elections. Defending the congress resolution, Mapaila said the decision was taken because the party was tired of holding meaningless meetings with its alliance party, the ANC, since it was not implementing things the alliance had agreed upon in the meetings. Mapaila said that the ANC was arrogant, telling the SACP to take it or leave it. He said that when Jacob Zuma ascended to the ANC and state presidency in 2009, the SACP asked him to give the party at least one department, adding that the party asked for Arts and Culture because it wanted to protect and promote indigenous languages. Mapaila said the departments that had been allocated to the SACP meant nothing because the party ministers still ran those departments under ANC control and the minister could not make much difference. He said people are addressed in English even if they don't understand because the government has failed to promote indigenous languages, adding that indigenous languages have been forgotten in the country. 'The problem here is that we meet and agree on something, however, we don't see the implementation of things we agreed upon as the alliance, so I'm sick and tired of attending meaningless meetings. If you go to the meeting with the people you know will not implement what you agreed upon, there is something wrong with you,' said Mapaila. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad loading He specified the ANC's failure to bring land back to the people as the main reason for the poverty among black people, which necessitated the party's decision to contest state power. "The time for working class representation in the state has come. The reason people are poor is because their land was taken away and no one is bringing their land back into their hands. "We cannot accept that and if you accept that please review your communism. We can't nurse each other's feelings. I'm sick and tired of attending meaningless meetings. We meet and we agree but nothing happens,' said Mapaila. Furthermore, he said the SACP will never leave the tripartite alliance since it assisted in its founding. He also slammed the ANC for blaming him for the decision to contest elections independently, saying he personally did not support the idea, however, he had to align himself as it was a congress decision. 'I did not agree with this decision but I had to accept the congress resolution. District secretaries knew that I did not support it,' said Mapaila. the SACP's strong ally, the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) said its upcoming congress will decide whether they stick with the ANC or go with the SACP. The SACP leadership also on Sunday laid a wreath at the grave of the late struggle veteran, Riot Mkhwanazi. SA Communist Party general secretary Solly Mapaila has hinted that the party may contest 2029 elections. Image: File
The Citizen
3 hours ago
- The Citizen
‘Barrelling towards collapse': Concerns mount as Godongwana puts pressure on Morero to fix Joburg's finances
The finance minister's intervention should not be taken lightly, according to the DA. Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana has given Johannesburg Mayor Dada Morero a two-week deadline to address the city's escalating financial troubles. The City of Joburg continues to struggle financially, despite an increased budget of R89 billion for the 2025/2026 financial year. Adding to the crisis, the metropolitan municipality has been without a Finance MMC since African Independent Congress (AIC) councillor Margaret Arnolds vacated the position a month ago following her re-election as council speaker. Godongwana demands action from Morero over City of Joburg's finances The situation has become so dire that Godongwana sent a strongly worded letter to Morero on 30 July, reprimanding the mayor for failure to address unnecessary spending and repeated non-compliance with the Municipal Finance Management Act (MFMA). The municipality incurred R1.4 billion in unauthorised expenditure, R22 billion in irregular expenditure, and R705 million in fruitless and wasteful expenditure in the last fiscal year. ALSO READ: Joburg mayor Dada Morero survives motion of no confidence According to the Sunday Times, Godongwana has set a 14 day deadline for Morero to propose a plan addressing the financial issues and to hold accountable those responsible for the mismanagement. The letter warns that failure to act may lead to National Treasury invoking Section 216(2) of the Constitution, which would allow the department to withhold grant funding from the city. DA warns of collapse The Democratic Alliance (DA) has expressed concern over the developments, emphasising that the minister's warning was 'no empty threat' and should not be taken lightly. 'Johannesburg's R89 billion budget is funded through a mix of grants, loans, revenue collection and conditional grants. 'Conditional grants, which form a significant portion of the city's funding, can only be spent on what they are intended for. 'If Treasury pulls back or suspends these funds, as the minister warns in his letter, the city's ability to deliver the little basic services it is currently able to deliver, will collapse entirely,' DA Joburg caucus leader Belinda Kayser-Echeozonjoku said in a statement on Sunday. READ MORE: ActionSA-ANC slams Zille's plans for Joburg: 'They do not believe in black excellence' Kayser-Echeozonjoku claimed that the DA had consistently warned both Morero and the national about the 'financial rot' in Joburg. 'The DA has sent letters to the National Treasury, outlining that those heading up key departments were not doing their jobs, and warning of a total lack of consequence management in Joburg. 'Leaving the ANC in Joburg to do as they please will now come back to bite residents. We are pleased, however, to see that the minister of finance agreed with the DA's summation of what's been going on,' she said. She also warned that the city is 'barrelling towards collapse under the ANC, faster than ever before'. 'The ANC has proven, time and again, that it cannot govern Johannesburg responsibly. 'The city's finances are in freefall, service delivery is grinding to a halt, and now the very funding that keeps Johannesburg afloat is under threat.' Auditor-General flags long-standing issues Earlier this year, the Auditor-General raised red flags over Johannesburg's ongoing failure to improve its audit processes. The official from the Auditor-General's Gauteng office revealed in Parliament that the city has faced long-standing issues related to financial health, including poor debt collection, declining revenue, and recurring compliance problems. In addition, the Auditor-General expressed concern over inadequate investment in infrastructure, pointing out that the lack of funding for both maintenance and new projects has had a negative impact on service delivery. City of Joburg's 'bomb squad' Morero in June appointed a special 'bomb squad' team to address the city's ongoing service delivery issues. The 12-member team, led by ANC veteran Snuki Zikalala, will serve for the next two years. The unit's objectives include deployig rapid response teams to areas experiencing service delivery crises and provide oversight for the mayor. NOW READ: Morero's vision to make Johannesburg a world-class African city
IOL News
3 hours ago
- IOL News
Calls for Accountability in South Africa's Leadership
The recent controversy surrounding Deputy President Paul Mashatile's failure to declare a diamond gift from a dubious businessman, coupled with Ramaphosa's refusal to demand accountability, exemplifies a leadership void marked by impunity. Image: GCIS The continued erosion of ethical governance under President Cyril Ramaphosa's leadership is a betrayal of the democratic values South Africans fought to uphold. Research from a 2013 study on South African local government (ResearchGate) underscores a persistent pattern of ethical lapses among public officials, a crisis that has only deepened under Ramaphosa's watch. The recent controversy surrounding Deputy President Paul Mashatile's failure to declare a diamond gift from a dubious businessman, coupled with Ramaphosa's refusal to demand accountability, exemplifies a leadership void marked by impunity. Even declarations made in Parliament seem weak and ineffective at holding people accountable, except for just being a mere 'slap on the wrist.' This echoes the unresolved Phala Phala scandal, where millions in hidden cash exposed a troubling lack of transparency. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad loading Cabinet ministers from Ramaphosa's ANC are repeatedly singled out for corruption allegations, yet the President shirks his constitutional duty to enforce integrity. Ramaphosa himself has said, 'I can't answer for him, and he has answers for all his matters… let's wait for that,' deferring responsibility to the Deputy President. This is not leadership that upholds a no-nonsense stance over allegations of inappropriate behaviours. He must demand accountability from his Deputy President and ministers without fear or favour, ensuring a clean and ethical government. Instead, Ramaphosa's silence and deflection foster a culture of unaccountability that undermines public trust, a trend criticised since the post-apartheid era. We condemn this failure unequivocally. South Africans deserve a government that reflects the highest standards of integrity, not one mired in scandal and evasion. President Ramaphosa must act decisively, hold his executive to account, and restore the moral authority of his office. Anything less is an affront to the nation's democratic aspirations. Teboho Loate COPE Acting Deputy President
