Durban - Former eThekwini deputy mayor Philani PG Mavundla has been sworn in as PR councillor at Umvoti (Greytown) local municipality in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands.
Mavundla, who is a very wealthy businessman who owns Mavundla Square, the biggest and most modern mall in Greytown, is representing his party, the ABC (Abantu Batho Congress) where he is the president.
He is filling a position which was left vacant when one of his party’s councillors resigned amid rumours that they wanted Mavundla to take over as mayor.
NEWS: Former eThekwini deputy mayor, Philani PG Mavundla, has been sworn in as PR councillor at Umvoti (Greytown) municipality in the KZN Midlands. Mavundla is representing his party, the ABC (Abantu Batho Congress). At some point, he was the municipality's ANC mayor. @IOL pic.twitter.com/MdKsOqzw0w
— Sihle Mavuso (@ZANewsFlash) April 14, 2023
At some point in 2011, he was the municipality's mayor on the ticket of the ANC, but he later resigned.
“Today on the 14th April 2023, PG Mavundla was officially sworn in at the municipal council chambers to be a PR (proportional representative) councillor of Umvoti local municipality.
“The ceremony was officiated by Magistrate Masikane of the Umvoti Magistrate Court where (councillor) PG Mavundla swore under oath to perform his duties to the best of his abilities.
“Mavundla was congratulated by His Worship The Mayor, GZ Malembe, the Honourable Speaker, NP Dlamini, the Honourable Deputy Mayor, MM Masondo, The Whip of Council, MR Dlamini and the Municipal Manager Miss NP Ndaba and the council collective,” the Umvoti municipality said in a statement.
In November 2021 Mavundla surprised many when he dumped opposition parties and joined the ANC-led alliance in the eThekwini municipality.
In return, he was given the position of deputy mayor, deputising Mxolisi Kaunda.
However, months into office, Kaunda and Mavundla fell out after the ANC mayor accused him of stepping in his lane, thus outshining him in the eyes of the public.
As the strained relationship carried on, Mavundla started exposing the rot in the municipality like the wastewater crisis, thus rubbing Kaunda and the ANC in the eThekwini region the wrong way.
In December the ANC tabled a motion of no confidence against him and ousted him.
Mavundla went to the Durban High Court to challenge his axing on the basis that his coalition pact with the ANC was binding until 2026.
The court ruled in favour of the ANC which then in February this year replaced Mavundla with Prudence Myeni from the NFP.
Mavundla later resigned altogether from the municipality and it was rumoured that he was on his way to Umvoti where he was planning to take over from the IFP mayor, Gabriel Malembe.
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