The jostling and fierce political rivalry between the IFP and the ANC in KwaZulu-Natal rages on.
At the heart of the schism is the exchange of power at King Cetshwayo district municipality which is now controlled by the IFP having amassed power in the 2021 municipal elections.
The district, which is the seat of local councils such the City of uMhlathuze, uMlalazi, uMfolozi, Mthonjaneni and Nkandla, is the second-biggest economy in KwaZulu-Natal. It was previously governed by the ANC.
Last week, what should have been an exciting moment for villagers who for years had been reduced to trekking life-threatening distances in search of water turned into a political frenzy.
The ANC wasted no time and fired a salvo and accused the IFP of embezzling public funds. The matter also went viral on social media.
But on Tuesday, district mayor Thami Ntuli held no punches, saying the ANC was on a campaign trail to tarnish the image of IFP-led municipalities.
“We won’t be derailed by a party which failed to deliver for the citizens of this district and they were voted out,” said Ntuli.
“The R6-million was value for money and includes the entire project and not just one bore hole as portrayed by those who during their tenure couldn’t deliver water to the people.”
Ntuli was addressing residents in the village of eMkhandlwini outside eMpangeni in the north coast during the launch of agricultural cooperatives, an initiative aimed at tackling high unemployment levels in the village.
“We will aggressively deliver services to those areas which were previously under-served. Key to this is the provision of water and inculcating a culture of self-reliance through encouraging farming with a major focus on young people and rural women.”
The cooperatives also received a start-up of various agricultural support to begin their work.
The district will again be the centre of attention with a by-election set to be held on Wednesday under ward 12 of the Mthonjaneni local municipality. The outcome will have a major political implication on who governs the council which is currently under the IFP.
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