SHARIKA REGCHAND
KwaDukuza mayor Thulani Khuluse was looking forward to being inaugurated for his second term as the municipality’s first citizen today, but there was doubt last night over whether the ceremony would go ahead today.
A group of ANC members who were opposed to Khuluse’s appointment as mayor had occupied the Stanger town hall, where the inauguration was due to take place.
The leader of the group, who would not be named, said the group, which already numbered about 300 by 8pm, would sleep at the hall last night to prevent the inauguration from being performed. He said more supporters were to be bused in.
The man said they were opposed to Khuluse’s being appointed mayor again because they were unhappy with aspects of his performance in his first term.
Contacted last night, Khuluse said he did not want to comment on the matter.
ANC provincial secretary Sihle Zikalala said he was aware of the hall’s occupation.
“We have received reports about the community’s grievances about the elected mayor. We are going to follow it up and engage with the community,” he said.
The situation was replicated at the ANC regional offices in Pietermaritzburg, where party members staged a sit-in, demanding answers from the party about how members of the ANC’s regional executive committee had been allowed to earmark top positions in municipalities for themselves.
ANC stalwart and activist Sibongile Mkhize said they had been reliably informed that Alpha Shelembe, treasurer of the Moses Mabhida region, was to become Msunduzi’s next deputy mayor despite having been charged in the Pietermaritzburg Magistrate’s Court with corruption, fraud and money laundering.
It was alleged that Shelembe, while a councillor at the uMgungundlovu district municipality, had been instrumental in the “negotiation, proposal, processing, recommendation and approval” of the purchase of a property from which he illegally profited, in 2003.
Former uMngeni (Howick) mayor Edward Dladla, the chairman of the committee, is to be appointed Speaker of the uMgungundlovu district municipality, said Mkhize. Dladla was accused of not paying rent while occupying a house bought for him by the council for more than R1.75 million.
The secretary of the committee, Super Zuma, was expected to be given a top position in the uMngeni or district municipality, said Mkhize.
Thobani Zuma, the leader of a local government election team, was to be appointed Speaker or whip of Msunduzi.
“In terms of ANC policy, you can’t have the whole committee putting their names on top of the list at the municipalities,” she said.
Mkhize added that the committee’s members had screened councillors and were now on the same candidate list they had screened.
“It is a conflict of interest… we are therefore calling for the intervention of the province and the national executive committee for sanity to prevail in the province and especially the city,” she said.
ANC spokeswoman Makhosi Khoza said the ANC had not yet announced who would occupy the positions.
Nevertheless, the party could not act on the basis of allegations. Khoza added that people could submit their grievances to the party and they would be investigated.