eThekwini ANC firm on decision to oust Philani Mavundla

The ANC in KwaZulu-Natal says it will stick to a coalition agreement with small parties in eThekwini, but insists former deputy mayor Philani Mavundla will not be reinstated.

This follows a lawyer's letter sent to the party by Mavundla on Tuesday, reminding the ANC to honour its coalition agreement by reinstating him as a member of the executive committee (exco) and chairperson of the human settlements and infrastructure committee at Thursday's first council meeting of the year.

Mavundla, as president of the Abantu Batho Congress (ABC) and leader of the smaller parties, agreed to vote with the ANC in exchange for being nominated to the exco and made deputy mayor and chair of the human settlements and infrastructure committee.

After a fallout with the ANC, Mavundla was voted off the former and axed as deputy mayor in December during the last council meeting of the year. He failed to overturn the decision in the Durban high court.

He made another attempt at reinstatement on Tuesday.

Apart from demanding this, Mavundla called for disciplinary proceedings to be initiated by Wednesday against ANC members who spearheaded his removal “in clear disregard of a legally binding agreement between the ANC and ABC”.

He said his dismissal was unlawful and the motion to remove him “misplaced and based on lies” because since early 2022 he had kept ANC leadership in the city abreast on ailing infrastructure, but it had done nothing.

He added that he wrote numerous letters to the ANC leadership in council and its municipal and provincial deployees, but received no response. 

“It is also noteworthy that the issues in relation to the entire infrastructure of eThekwini have been reported since January 2022 to the mayor. It was reported to the legislature ad hoc committee when it visited the council. The president of the country and the ANC is fully aware of it.

"The minister, as well as the deputy minister of water and sanitation, are both aware of the infrastructure failures. The entire executive of the KZN government was fully briefed on the challenges, as well as the ANC and PEC (provincial executive committee), and regional leadership has always been aware of the challenges,” reads his attorneys' letter.

Mavundla said he wants his demands addressed by no later than noon on Wednesday, failing which he will approach a court of competent jurisdiction to claim damages.

Responding to the letter on Wednesday, ANC provincial spokesperson Mafika Mndebele said the party would not entertain Mavundla’s letter, but was working with the smaller parties to find a new deputy mayor. 

He said before Mavundla was removed, it was these parties which raised grievances with him.

“We don’t take Mavundla seriously. There is no demand he can give to us. Remember, Mavundla came to us as the chair of the small bloc [of parties]. It was not the ANC that got rid of Mavundla. The small bloc started complaining first about his conduct and the ANC subsequently developed discomfort with him because he was leading a critical department of infrastructure and human settlements, and after the floods there were lots of challenges there,” he said.

“Instead of working and resolving the plight of our people, he went to the media politicising matters, while forgetting that he was responsible for resolving matters. The ANC is now beginning to correct that mess, so we really don’t have time for Mavundla.”

Mndebele said Mavundla communicated infrastructure challenges to the ANC leadership instead of doing something about them as portfolio chair, demonstrating that he saw himself as "the opposition".

“You’re the portfolio councillor responsible. If there are challenges, we expect those who are deployed in governance to resolve them ... Mavundla saw himself as the opposition while he was supposed to work — always in front of the cameras and complaining ... People do not want us to politick, they want us to work.”

Though Mndebele was mum on the preferred candidate for deputy mayor, he did say: “We are giving the post of deputy mayor to the smaller political parties as part of the coalition agreement we had.”

A meeting to fill the positions is scheduled for Thursday.

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