Outgoing eThekwini mayor Mxolisi Kaunda has said he will leave no record of corruption. Kaunda was recalled by the African National Congress (ANC) and reassigned to the National Council of Provinces (NCOP).
The ANC claims that while Mr Kaunda has been successful in improving the operation of the metro, the city is still not in the state it wants to be. Mr Kaunda was elected mayor in August 2019 after Zandile Gumede resigned.
EThekwini is the only ANC-controlled metro in the country. It has an annual budget of R67 billion and serves about 3.5 million people. Kaunda has been at the helm since 2019 and has survived a number of no-confidence motions brought by the EFF, ActionSA and the DA. He was re-elected as mayor after the 2021 local government elections.
EThekwini has been heavily criticised by residents for failing to provide water to the community. It has also been blamed for failing to resolve sewerage problems. The ANC says that despite the criticism, Kaunda has improved the running of the municipality.
“We made it very clear to him and the people of eThekwini that the intervention was for him to come in and try to stabilise the town. Yes we know that the ANC is not at a level where we are happy with it but we can say with confidence that the town is at a level where we are happy with it. But if you look at what Kaunda took over in 2019 you can see that it is much better than it was then,” says KZN ANC secretary Bheki Mtlo.
Kaunda says he has achieved many successes, including paying off Eskom's debts and ensuring political stability in the municipality.
“We've never had anything less than an unqualified audit opinion. That means good governance. So I'm going to leave that record. I'm not going to leave a municipality that's on the brink of collapse. I'm not going to leave a municipality that can't pay its staff. I'm not going to leave a municipality that's not meeting its obligations.”
The ANC has denied allegations that it was forced by its partners in the planned government of national unity to remove Kaunda.