KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Government spokesperson Mr Lennox Mabaso says that the Office of the Premier was not aware that Alfred Duma Local Municipality Mayor Vincent Madlala had resumed his post as mayor.
“The Alfred Duma mayor told the Premier that he is unwell and he took voluntary sick leave to attend to matters of ill-health. That was our last communication with the mayor,” said Mr Mabaso.
He continued in a telephonic interview with the Ladysmith Gazette that,” Since the lockdown, we haven’t been able to check the status of the Alfred Duma mayor and we are not aware of any new developments. We still wish the mayor a speedy recovery, since he took sick leave voluntarily.”
Violent protests to remove the mayor saw the municipality’s transport system being suspended. This happened before the mayor took sick leave. Shops, hotels, factories and schools were temporarily closed. It did not end there either, as a community hall was torched, together with six State-owned cars in a depot. Transport passing through the town of Ladysmith to nearby towns was disrupted until government intervened .
Also read: Mayor says he’s back at the helm in Ladysmith
It took several meetings between the protesters and the Premier to bring an end to the stay-away.
Now, two months later, the mayor is back in his post.
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