eThekwini Municipality mayor Cyril Xaba takes a rickshaw ride on the Durban beachfront during the Easter long weekend. Xaba has emerged as a frontrunner to return as the mayor if the ANC wins in the upcoming local government elections.
Image: Enos Mhlongo
THE mayor of eThekwini Municipality,Cyril Xaba, is a frontrunner to return as the Durban mayor if the ANC win in the upcoming local government elections.
ANC members in eThekwini have said that Xaba has brought stability to the running of the metro.
The members spoke out amid speculation regarding who would be appointed as mayors in the different municipalities in KwaZulu-Natal. The ANC recently announced that it is preparing to host interviews for those who may be appointed as mayors after the local government elections.
ANC Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula said recently the party will formally open interviews for mayoral candidates. Mbalula indicated that the ANC hopes to announce its contenders next month.
He reportedly said, "We are formally opening the interviews as agreed by the General Council and the ANC that the national officials must be seized with the matter of appointing mayors in the metros and the secondary cities in the country. So, we’ll give you those cities. And then, we’re looking at around May to announce our mayoral candidates. The process of the ANC, as you will know, is all-encompassing. It involves mass participation."
ANC members have indicated that the process of selecting candidates is likely to be complex due to the state of the party’s structures.
One ANC member noted that the normal process involves the regional leadership sending names for interviews, but since the structure is not in place, the task team might have to assume that responsibility.
“The challenges are that even those who are in the task team might be eyeing these very same positions, so they might work to influence the process to be put forward as candidates for the very same position,” said one member.
Speculating on the possible names that might return, an ANC member in eThekwini stated, “There are unlikely to be any changes in eThekwini; Xaba is a frontrunner.
“There is really no need to make any changes. The ANC is likely to keep him for the purposes of stability and continuity, and I believe that is the same case in the Umkhanyakude District,” said the source.
The source, who has an understanding of the dynamics of politics in the Midlands, noted that changes might be afoot in Msunduzi.
“The chances of the current mayor, Mzimkhulu Thebolla, coming back are 50-50; it’s not just about performance; it’s also about the fact that he is now politically vulnerable because he is no longer the chair of the region.”
Political experts have suggested that the ANC must disregard populism in selecting potential mayors and instead appoint fit and proper candidates who could restore the party’s credibility.
Political analyst Siyabonga Ntombela said education and qualifications should be at the top of their list.
“Ordinarily, they should be looking for ethical, upright individuals who have gone through the ‘eye of the needle’ and prevailed. However, the ANC discarded that document a long time ago, and it is no longer in use when selecting morally upright representatives.
“Therefore, the only strategy that is left is to bring people who have been members of the party for the longest time and were marginalised and ridiculed during the state looting spree.
“These are not the usual comrades we see on TV every day, but are working in communities with various stakeholders—people with a track record of working for communities,” he said.
Another analyst, Professor Musa Xulu, said the ANC must look for individuals with experience at any level of government, preferably at the provincial and national levels.
“They must also look for educated people with a minimum bachelor’s degree because the official documents at local government are written in very complex language. Mayors should be able to read and interpret financial statements. Mayors must also have a good reputation and must be in good standing with managing their own financial affairs,” he said.
The ANC had not responded to the request for comment.
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