DURBAN - DESPITE being at number nine on the ANC’s candidate list for eThekwini, mayor Mxolisi Kaunda is set to return to the municipality.
On the list of names for the first three senior positions, which the Daily News has seen, Kaunda’s name appeared for both the mayor and speaker positions.
The ANC Women’s League regional secretary Zama Sokhabase and Kaunda are second and third respectively. The regional task team put Kaunda’s name on the list for the post of speaker together with Nkosenhle Madlala and Yolanda Young.
For the position of deputy mayor, the party proposed Barbara Fontein, Mathabi Shange and Sokhabase. This arrangement appears to guarantee Kuanda’s return to the city if the ANC succeeds in forming a coalition to govern the only metro in the province.
On the candidate list before the elections, Thabani Nyawose was at number, one followed by Sokhabase and Madlala. Ntokozo Sibiya and Sifiso Mkhize, who were at number four and five respectively, were not nominated despite being in the top five; instead the party opted for Kaunda at number nine.
The list was confirmed by ANC provincial spokesperson Nhlakanipho Ntombela, who said they had submitted the names for the troika positions in all the regions where the party won, as well as those that had hung municipalities.
Despite being rejected by both the DA and IFP to form a coalition, the ANC was still hoping it would find a partner to govern the eThekwini Municipality.
The party dropped from the 126 seats it won in 2016 to 96 in last week’s local government elections, failing to secure enough votes to govern alone. The DA won 58 seats while the EFF received 24 seats, jumping by 16 after winning eight seats in 2016.
The IFP also increased its number of seats, from the 10 it secured in 2016 to 16 seats.
EThekwini Municipality has 222 seats, which means the ANC is short of 16 seats to govern.
Daily News