KING Cetshwayo District Municipality Mayor Cllr. Nonhle Mkhulisi is excited about her election as the Deputy Chairperson of South African Local Government Association (SALGA KZN), and she sees it as a platform for empowerment.
She was elected joint Deputy Chair during the SALGA KZN Conference held in September, along with two other mayors in Solomon Mkhombo of Umkhanyakude District and Thobekile Maphumulo of Umgungundlovu District.
The association is chaired by Harry Gwala District Mayor Mluleki Ndobe, with five additional members.
She spoke to the Zululand Observer in an exclusive interview about this development and other related issues.
ZO: What exactly does this election mean to you?
Mkhulisi: As a Local Government structure mandated to deliver basic services to the people, I will be close to the action. I will be the first to get the information, and mine will be to disseminate it to all relevant stakeholders. This election also puts King Cetshwayo on the map. It means we are doing something good and are being recognised. This by the way is about the district, not Nonhle Mkhulisi.
ZO: Minister of Cooperative Governance Des van Rooyen announced a three month salary payment for councillors who were not re-elected, in this term of office, as means to compensate them. Have these former councillors been paid?
Mkhulisi: I know of that initiative by Minister van Rooyen, and my understanding is that those councillors will be paid, but there were few glitches that needed to be sorted out first. Having said that, may I remind you that not all former Councillors will benefit from this initiative, but only those who served from 2011 to 2016. Those who were voted in after 2011, including by means of by-elections, are excluded from this programme. To give you an example, we voted on August 3 2016 and had our first council sittings, so anyone who will become a councillor after that is excluded from this programme.
ZO: You recently launched a 16 Days of Activism programme: how rife are incidents of violence and abuse against women and children in this district?
Mkhulisi: The situation is not good at all, when one looks at the statistics. It does warrant an intervention, not only by us as district municipality. This is an activity that affects us all as community members, church leaders, political parties and businesses.
Firstly, this campaign must be changed to 365 days for no violence against women and children, under the theme ‘Count me in.’ We must indeed be counted in to challenge the continued abuse of women and children in our society. We have been made aware of a court case involving a teacher who is alleged to have raped 21 learners in uMlalazi area. That alone gives you a picture of how the situation is.
ZO: Finally you political party (ANC) in this region has won two wards under the City of uMhlathuze. How does that make you feel?
Mkhulisi: This simply means we will be able to continue making the lives of the people of Ntambanana better, as you know that both these wards were under the now defunct Ntambanana Municipality, which was underdeveloped. We thank the voters for showing their continued support and believing in the ideals of the oldest liberation movement in Africa.
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