In a tense finale to the election of mayors in SA’s metros, the ANC managed to retain control of eThekwini in KwaZulu-Natal in a chaotic council sitting that was twice disrupted and remains under threat from opposition parties that want to challenge the outcome in court.
The ANC’s Mxolisi Kaunda was re-elected as mayor of eThekwini on Wednesday.
The port metro was one of the most critical on the governing party’s list. Despite the ANC failing to retain an outright majority in the November 1 poll, a deal with the Abantu Batho Congress ensured a win.
The vote on Wednesday was an extension of Monday’s adjourned meeting, which ended abruptly after disruptions from a power failure and a mob of ANC supporters who crashed the venue.
On Wednesday, the DA and IFP lodged objections during the process in the council meeting and put on record their intention to launch a legal review. The EFF added its voice by breaking out in song during proceedings.
It was a two-horse race between Kaunda and the DA’s Nicole Graham, with Kaunda crossing the finishing line with 113 to Graham’s 104.
Kaunda was the candidate who the ANC saw as the best person to lead the troubled metro, which is marred by deep divisions within the ANC.
In his acceptance speech, Kaunda vowed to work with all political parties to build a people-centred administration that is honest, accountable and responsive.
“As we hit the ground running, one of the urgent items in our order of business is a meeting with Umgeni Water to speedily resolve the water challenge facing some parts of the city,” Kaunda said.
He also committed the city to work towards creating a positive investor climate to make eThekwini the preferred destination for visitors and urged all political parties to bury their differences and work towards improving governance.
His election means the ANC remains the leader of government in eThekwini, Mangaung, Nelson Mandela Bay and Buffalo City. However, the governing party’s electoral decline in all metros was evident in this year’s municipal ballot, a trend that if not reversed threatens to result in the ANC becoming a rural party. The DA is in charge of Johannesburg, Tshwane, Ekurhuleni and Cape Town as a result of the support of the EFF during mayoral elections.
The ANC’s decision this week to stand by Kaunda as its candidate sunk an earlier co-operation agreement the party had with the IFP. The IFP’s objection to Kaunda mattered little after Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma — a National Executive Committee (NEC) member — argued his case in a meeting on Sunday. “She argued his case strongly, and there was no opposition,” an ANC NEC member said.
The IFP’s Mdu Nkosi said the party is disappointed because it wants to be part of the change that the voters want for Durban.
“We will continue to serve the needs of the people. We will in council meetings use our voice and work with others in the opposition benches to restore Durban as a clean, crime-free, and tourist- and investor-friendly city. We will create jobs with the budget ... especially for our youth.”
This was the second attempt to elect eThekwini’s council leadership after the first attempt was abandoned when electricity at the venue tripped, leading to a blackout. The adjournment led to protests and rowdy scenes.
The voting took place under the close watch of the Electoral Commission of SA and party agents during counting at the Inkosi Albert Luthuli International Convention Centre.
Kaunda’s rival in the mayoral election said the ANC won after it had time to regroup.
“I think if we sat on Monday we would have been successful. But obviously there has been a lot of dubious dealings between now and then, which has resulted in the inclusion of smaller parties in the ANC executive committee,” Graham said.
Hung council
“This is a hung council and we will be a critical stakeholder and role player to fight for the rights of communities for the improvement of service delivery and for a brighter future for the city. What we offer our voters will be the same whether I have the [mayoral] chain on my neck or not,” she said.
The ANC over the past decade has dominated the polls in eThekwini, in a province that was an IFP stronghold before 2004.
The governing party’s loss of votes in the elections was attributed to internal factions in support of former president Jacob Zuma, which resulted in violent unrest in July that brought eThekwini to its knees and left more than 300 dead and thousands of businesses destroyed.
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