CONTROVERSIAL eThekwini mayor Zandile Gumede’s withdrawal of her letter of resignation submitted on Monday appears to have thrown the ANC into disarray with fears that an apparent political showdown is imminent.
Gumede, along with fellow ANC eThekwini executive committee members were instructed to hand in their resignations on Monday after the provincial ANC gave them their marching orders over governance issues in the city.
ALSO READ: ANC confirms Gumede’s resignation
However, an 11th hour change of heart by Gumede has created a ‘crisis’ for the ANC and halted the inauguration of Mxolisi Kaunda as the new Mayor of eThekwini and Belinda Scott, his deputy.
eThekwini councillors received a message yesterday informing them that the full council meeting scheduled for Thursday, 29 August, when the new leadership was to have been inaugurated, had been postponed without any further reasoning, leaving the metro’s council in limbo.
The ANC’s Provincial Spokesperson, Ricardo Mthembu, speaking to Berea Mail, tried to downplay the seriousness of the matter saying that the party’s provincial heads would be meeting to find a resolution. He added that the ANC in the province would be meeting the National Executive Committee at Luthuli House in days to come.
ALSO READ: Mayor’s case postponed to 2020
Gumede’s swift turnaround has further thrown the ANC, particularly its KwaZulu-Natal structures, into a deeper political dilemma, said IFP’s Mdu Nkosi.
Nkosi strongly criticized the provincial leadership of the ANC saying the City was being led by ‘confused’ leaders who continued to undermine the people of eThekwini by delaying already backlogged service delivery with its internal squabbles.
ALSO READ: Durban Mayor Gumede released on R50 000 bail
The Democratic Alliance echoed the sentiments expressed by the IFP, saying that Gumede’s actions would have detrimental effects on the city’s economy which had ground to a halt, showing a zero per cent growth under the current circumstances – as a result causing suffering for the poor and unemployed.
“Service delivery has declined sharply whilst the ANC has forgotten its core mandate and the instability and inconsistencies have created absolute chaos.” added DA’s caucus leader Nicole Graham.
Gumede is understood to have approached Luthuli House to challenge her recall by the ANC provincial executive committee before deciding to withdraw her resignation letter.
Reports on the ground say the ANC provincial leadership will meet with the ANC top six on Monday to discuss Gumede’s recall, however it is not clear at this stage what action the ANC will take over Gumede’s about-turn.
Do you want to receive news alerts via Telegram? Send us a message (not an sms) with your name and surname to 060 532 5535.
You can also join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
PLEASE NOTE: If you have signed up for our news alerts you need to save the Berea Mail Telegram number as a contact to your phone, otherwise you will not receive our alerts
Here’s where you can download Telegram on Android or Apple.
To receive our free newsletter click here.
