ETHEKWINI Mayor will have to cool her heels for a couple more weeks before the ANC Provincial Executive Committee meets in early August to make its final decision on whether to reinstate the embattled mayor, Zandile Gumede who was put on suspension while the party investigated the allegations of fraud and corruption against her.
Gumede was put on 30 days forced leave which would have seen her return to work on Wednesday, 10 July.
However, on Wednesday the party’s provincial secretary general said the investigation was almost complete and a decision would be made when the committee meets in the first week of August to take a final decision on the matter.
In the meantime, calls for her permanent removal from office have been made by The Democratic Alliance (DA), Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) and civil rights organisation OUTA.
ALSO READ: Civic bodies call for Durban Mayor Zandile Gumede to step down
Mbali Ntuli, DA KZN spokesperson on co-perative governance and traditional affairs confirmed she had tabled a motion asking Premier Sihle Zikalala to make Gumede’s leave of absence permanent.
Ntuli described Gumede as the biggest stumbling block to the proper functioning of eThekwini and appealed to the premier to bring stability to the metro.
In a letter to the MEC of Cogta in KZN she requested that eThekwini Municipality be placed under adminstration using section 139, in light of the fact that the city manager, senior administration leaders and a number of ANC councillors had been implicated in fraud and corruption allegations.
The Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (Outa) in turn have threatened legal legal action if the city does not take action against Gumede and others implicated in the fraud charges.
Outa KZN provincial manager Tim Tyrrell said they had written to Exco and warned that if action was not taken against Gumede and her co-accused, it would be seen as a derelicition of duty and that the organisation would explore legal recourse and hold council to account.
Gumede’s supporters have come out strongly in her favour and are adamant that the ruling party did not follow due process when dealing with Gumede and are insisting she be reinstated as mayor.
“What has happened to mayor Gumede is not consistent with the law and can’t be condoned,” said one of Gumede’s staunch supporters, Mzo Dube.
Gumede appeared in the Durban Specialised Commercial Crimes Court in May on fraud-related charges in connection with an alleged R208m solid-waste tender in the city.
She was granted R50 000 bail and was then placed on a 30 day leave, by the ANC’s provincial executive committee (PEC), while it decided how to best to deal with the public outcry without prejudicing Gumede’s rights.
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