Durban — Former member of Parliament Cyril Xaba is expected to be elected the new mayor of eThekwini Municipality on Tuesday (today).
Various sources within the municipality including the Exco members confirmed to the Daily News on Monday that Xaba was chosen by the ANC in the three names that were sent to the party’s national leadership by the province for consideration.
Sources also revealed that Xaba was already a councillor and the ANC had proposed his name to become an Exco member to fill a vacant seat that became available following Mxolisi Kaunda’s departure to the National Assembly two weeks ago.
Although the ANC had kept the process a closely guarded secret, it was reported that Xaba was competing with the former Police Minister Bheki Cele and former KwaZulu-Natal premier Nomusa Dube-Ncube. The duo did not make it back to Parliament and legislature respectively because of the ANC’s dismal showing in the recent elections. Xaba too failed to be re-elected to Parliament.
Xaba was a member of the provincial legislature from 1994 to 2014 where he was elected as the Agriculture and Rural Development MEC. He did not last in the post after his faction under Senzo Mchunu had been defeated by the then pro-Jacob Zuma faction that was led by Sihle Zikalala the following year.
However, Xaba’s political career was resuscitated in 2019 when he was elected to the National Assembly.
It is not clear how he will work with the eThekwini regional leadership after the region publicly pronouncing that it was preferring former eThekwini mayor James Nxumalo.
Although metro mayors are appointed by the ANC’s national leadership, they account to the regional structures.
Attempts to get Xaba to comment were unsuccessful.
EThekwini Speaker Thabani Nyawose confirmed that the mayor would be elected on Tuesday (today), adding that there will be nominations from the floor first and councillors will vote for the mayor of their choice.
The ANC provincial spokesperson Mafika Mndebele refused to be drawn into confirming Xaba, saying that the ANC would issue a statement after the process had been completed.
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