Former KwaDukuza Municipality mayor now faces prospect of being kicked out of the ANC.
ANC councillor Lindi Nhaca got axed as the mayor of KwaDukuza Municipality on Thursday with the prospect of losing her party membership is still hanging over her head.
Nhaca’s replacement is also likely to be announced tomorrow as the provincial leadership is poised to unveil its mayoral and deputy candidates for the north coast municipality at a press briefing.
ANC provincial spokesperson Mafika Mndebele confirmed that their announcement would be about the leadership in KwaDukuza.
Nhaca, will remain a councillor pending the disciplinary processes against her.
Mndebele said, “The motion of no confidence stated that we have no confidence in her ability to achieve our mandate,” he said.
However, he declined to detail why the ANC had lost trust in its deployee as this would be part of the disciplinary hearing, said Mafika.
The internal charges were related to allegations of bringing the party into disrepute.
The ANC, which motioned the vote of no confidence, collaborated with IFP and EFF to remove Nhaca with the majority of 30 votes against the DA, Action SA and Independent Alliance whose attempts to save Nhaca fell flat.
Nhaca had recently failed in her legal action to interdict the ANC’s motion as both the Durban High Court and Pietermaritzburg High Court ruled against her application.
Mndebele said the deputy mayor position, which was left vacant by the death of Thulani 'Mbazo' Ntuli in March 2023, will also be filled when the council sits.
On the same sitting where Nhaca was voted out, DA lost its motion to have council speaker Govidammal “Dolly” Govender also kicked out.
DA chief whip in the council Privi Makhan said in a statement that Governder was “simply incapable of conducting the business of council in a non-partisan manner.”
The plan to unseat Nhaca came to the public attention when a video of a meeting that ANC provincial secretary Bheki Mtolo secretary held with the ANC caucus in the municipality on July 10 was leaked.
Mtolo had told the ANC councillors that they should vote to replace Nhaca with Njabulo Cele, an ANC activist, who had been initially earmarked for the deputy mayor position.
Soon after the leaking of the video, Mtolo told 1 KZN TV that the ANC was prepared to give the deputy mayor position to the IFP in exchange for Cele becoming the mayor.
IFP caucus leader in eThekwini Municipality Mdu Nkosi, who had been deployed to monitor the vote of no confidence in KwaDukuza, could not say whether or not the IFP would get the deputy mayor position in exchange for voting with the ANC against Nhaca.
He said having a new mayor was a process that would not be concluded immediately.
Nkosi said the IFP was not eyeing any position because “The IFP believe that you don’t negotiate because you want something for you.”
“Our priority is to benefit the community because if you go to negotiations talking ‘what is in for me’ that is not good leadership,” he said.