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ANC to meet on Monday to discuss Zandile Gumede’s fate
Gumede rescinded her resignation as eThekwini mayor earlier this week, after reportedly being asked to resign via text message.
Former eThekweni municipality mayor Zandile Gumede signing the condolences book of the late Winnie Madikizela Mandela at the City hall. Picture: ANA
The ANC will meet on Monday to discuss former eThekwini mayor Zandile Gumede’s decision to withdraw her resignation, KwaZulu-Natal Premier and party provincial spokesperson Sihle Zikalala told SABC News.
The embattled former mayor is currently out on bail, and faces fraud and corruption charges.
Gumede was arrested earlier this year on fraud and corruption charges, along with nine other eThekwini and Msunduzi municipality members, who all handed in their resignations in July.
Gumede rescinded her resignation earlier this week, however, citing the reason that she was unhappy with how it had been handled. This after her and the other officials were reportedly asked to resign via text message.
The South African reported that Zikalala recently vowed to have a new mayor of Durban by Wednesday.
“By Wednesday, we’d have sorted this issue and have the new mayor and exco to take the council forward. The ANC mandate will have to be implemented,” Zikalala told the publication.
Gumede’s decision to withdraw her resignation threw a spanner in the works of the ANC’s plan to replace her with Mxolisi Kaunda, who was meant to be sworn in on Thursday.
Councillors received an SMS on the day Kaunda was to be sworn in, reading “Dear Cllr, Plz be advised that the Council meeting scheduled for Thursday, 29 August 2019 has now been POSTPONED to a date still to be advised. From:Secretariat (sic)”, IFP exco councillor Mdu Inkosi said.
Gumede’s supporters said they still wanted her to return as ANC eThekwini chairperson, with the leader of her supporters Mzomuhle Dube telling News24 on Tuesday that people had “plotted” to have her removed, and that the processes building up to her dismissal were unfair.
Her travails are understood by some analysts to be a microcosm of the battle between President Cyril Ramaphosa’s supporters in the ANC and those formerly strongly aligned to Jacob Zuma, who has expressed support for Gumede, and remains influential in KwaZulu-Natal.
(Compiled by Nica Schreuder)
Background reporting by News24 Wire
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