The Democratic Alliance (DA) claimed a major scalp in the run-up to the local elections in Durban‚ getting the National Freedom Party’s (NFP) most senior council official to defect and join its ranks. At an outdoor event at Durban City Hall on Tuesday‚ the party announced that Thabani Mthethwa – the NFP’s chief whip in council and also a district secretary – would stand for election for the DA. The chief whip is arguably the most important party position in a municipal council.His former colleagues greeted the news by referring to him as a “lazy councillor”.The DA also said that Ganas Govender had defected from the Minority Front and would stand for election as a ward councillor.The identities of the two were kept secret when the party’s candidates list was released last month. The remaining confidential candidates for the rest of the province could be made public this week.Mthethwa said the decision to move was not based on the seemingly flagging fortunes of the NFP.“For me‚ the NFP is a closed chapter. The positive that I’m focusing on is the future with the DA. We join politics to be able to influence the direction of the country. At this point of time‚ the DA is a party for the future. It’s got nothing to do with my former party‚ it’s got everything to do with the future.“Having been exposed to how the DA works‚ and working with some of the guys as colleagues in council‚ it was not a very difficult decision for me. I was recruited by the way they do things and wanted to be part of much-needed change in the country‚” said Mthethwa.He said that he had tendered his resignation with immediate effect on Tuesday morning‚ and had not yet received a response from party leaders.Responding to the announcement‚ NFP secretary-general Professor Nhlanhla Kubisa said the party was “better off” without Mthethwa.“He has been one of our laziest councillors. He’s an intelligent person‚ but he’s not a friend of work. Him and work are not good neighbours. It’s a pity that such a brilliant person has another side of him‚ which is that of laziness‚” said Kubisa.Before the revelation of the two confidential candidates‚ the DA’s mayoral candidate‚ Haniff Hoosen‚ launched a scathing attack on the African National Congress (ANC) leadership in eThekwini.“Over the last 22 years‚ our city has lurched from one disaster to another. Madiba’s dream of 1994 has been turned into a nightmare by the thugs who run our city. I have lived here all my life and I have seen how things have gone from bad to worse‚” said Hoosen.He continued: “ANC councillors have long forgotten about the voters that elected them‚ to better their own lives. The only people who have really benefited from this government over the last 22 years are the ANC politicians themselves.”..