The African National Congress in KwaZulu-Natal has recalled its mayor in eThekwini, Mxolisi Kaunda. According to the party, Kaunda will be redeployed to the National Council of Provinces in Cape Town with immediate effect.
REDEPLOYMENT
In a statement yesterday, ANC KZN secretary-general Bheki Mtolo said, "We wish to announce the redeployment of Comrade Mxolisi Kaunda from eThekwini Municipality to the National Council of Provinces. As we usher in a new era following the national and provincial elections, we are identifying key areas that require urgent focus. We strongly believe that, with his experience, Comrade Kaunda has an important role to play in the NCOP,".
SURVIVING TWO MOTIONS OF NO CONFIDENCE
During his tenure as the mayor, Kaunda faced two motions of no confidence by opposition parties which he both survived. The first motion was tabled by the DA supported by IFP in February 2023. Despite the significant opposition, Kaunda managed to survive the motion. In January this year, Kaunda faced another motion of no confidence, this time initiated by the IFP. However, once again, he managed to come out victorious when 109 councillors voted against the motion, while 98 councillors voted in favour of it. DA caucus leader Thabani Mthethwa welcomed the news of Kaunda's removal from his mayoral position. "Residents of this municipality have been forced to suffer under his incompetence. His absence is welcomed. This is the man who remained in denial about the true state of the city which suffers from debilitating water outages, electricity supply issues, failing infrastructure, non-service delivery, excessive billing, and high crime levels," he said. Mthethwa said that Kaunda's administration chased away investors from the city. "These led to deadly municipal protests, while eThekwini drowned in billions of Rand in debt. The DA has been consistently calling for the removal of Kaunda and welcomes the action that has been taken by his political party to finally remove him," he said. Mthethwa said the DA will be tabling a credible plan to end water outages and invest in much-needed infrastructure.
