Durban - Following their successful blocking of the appointment of eThekwini’s new city manager, opposition parties believe the Municipal Public Accounts Committee (MPAC) chairperson position is within reach and they hope to possibly snatch the power of the whole city from the ANC.
The MPAC chairperson position is expected to be voted on by the council in a few weeks’ time. Inkatha Freedom Party leader in the municipality Mdu Nkosi said the opposition has started preparing to take the position after successfully blocking the appointment of Max Mbili as the new city manager.
He said municipality speaker Thabani Nyawose tabled the matter in the last executive council (exco) meeting and declared the position vacant but did not give the date when it would be filled.
“We are waiting for the day and we strongly believe that as the opposition we will be able to take the MPAC position. You know we have been defeating the ANC lately, so we don’t see why we will not whip them this time. If we do take the MPAC, what can stop us from unseating the ANC from power completely,” said Nkosi.
He said the block of small parties that helped the ANC to govern the city were now divided and some of them have returned to the opposition side.
DA caucus leader Nicole Graham was also optimistic about the opposition taking MPAC, and confirmed that her party would contest the position again. She said the DA had been talking to as many people as it could to consolidate its position before the date for voting for the MPAC took place.
“The DA will be contesting the position and we have been talking to many people about taking the power from the ANC. And, of course, the city is within the opposition’s reach but we are not going to rush to that arrangement because there is no point rushing to take power whereas you cannot get things done for the people of eThekwini,” Graham said.
Dr Makhosi Khoza vacated the MPAC position following her dismissal by ActionSA, both as a councillor and as a member. She left the opposition in March.
Attempts to contact ANC chief whip Thembo Ntuli were unsuccessful but the party councillor, who is also an exco member and who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the issue of smaller parties was being handled by the provincial leader after the small parties voted against the appointment of the city manager.
ANC chief whip Thembo Ntuli said his party will engage with its coalition partners about the candidate the party will vote for. He agreed there were sometimes his party has had disagreements with its coalition partners which is common problem in any relationship.
Daily News