Zandile Gumede, former eThekwini mayor was appointed a member of the provincial legislature (MPL), even after she faced charges of fraud and corruption in connection with tender fraud
Sihle Zikalala, Kwazulu-Natal Premier mentioned on Friday that he isn’t in support with the appointment of Zandile Gumede to the provincial legislature and considers it “not the best decision.”
The premier made a statement when he was in a briefing with South African National Editors’ Forum (Sanef) and journalists.
“We acknowledge that it is a situation that is quite difficult to manage. It is solving one problem with another problem because you remove her from the city, from being an ordinary councillor, and others will think that you are promoting her,” Zikalala said.
Just after the former KZN MPL – Ricardo Mthembu succumbed to COVID-19, she got appointed as the new KZN MPL, which seemed shocking to many.
She was set free on R50,000 bail, despite the charges of fraud and corruption placed against her.
Zikalala further said:
“The question we had as the ANC was that the IEC said: ‘Should we take the next person [on the list] or not?’. On the other side, we’ve got an untenable situation in the municipality. And that’s what then compelled us to have this balance,” he said.
