The ANC's Cyril Xaba has been appointed as the new mayor of eThekwini municipality in KwaZulu Natal. Xaba takes over the mayoral chain from Mxolisi Kaunda, who became a member of Parliament after the May 29 elections. He was nominated as mayor under the Government of Provincial Unity, which consists of the ANC, NFP, IFP and DA.
AN HONOUR
Kaunda vacated his position, which he has held since 2019, and managed to survive three votes of no confidence motions from opposition parties. Xaba was voted in today at a council meeting that was held at Durban's iNkosi Albert Luthuli Convention Centre. "This honour you have bestowed on me is not one I take lightly. It is a responsibility I humbly accept, knowing very well the expectations that come with the job. Thus, I pledge not to fail the residents of this beautiful city," Xaba said in his acceptance speech. "My predecessors laid a solid foundation. We will continue working closely with community leaders, businesses and all our stakeholders to create solutions that reflect our collective aspirations. Our city has a vibrant and dynamic community, rich in diversity and full of potential. It is a place where different cultures, ideas, and dreams come together like bright rainbow colours to create a thriving environment. Working as a collective, I commit to nurture this diversity and harness our collective strengths to build a more inclusive future, that no one must feel left out," he said.
PRIORITISING WATER AND SANITATION
Xaba said that their priorities are improving water and sanitation infrastructure as well as ensuring uninterrupted water supply, a safe and clean city, inner-city rejuvenation, strengthening good governance and fighting corruption, attracting investment, and promoting an inclusive economy that creates jobs.
"We want to appeal to the employees of the municipality to recommit themselves to serve the public with integrity, honour, and humility in line with the Batho Pele Principle. We must state unequivocally that we will not tolerate people who do not want to work or those who pursue their self-interests at the expense of the people of eThekwini. We will monitor the performance of senior management to ensure that it is aligned to the objectives and key performance indicators," he said.
