By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
The former Member of Parliament (MP) and African National Congress (ANC) councillor Cyril Xaba has been officially announced as the Mayor of the eThekwini Municipality.
Xaba was nominated by Deputy Mayor Zandile Myeni and elected during a special council meeting on Wednesday at the Durban Inkosi Albert Luthuli International Convention Centre on Wednesday.
Another nomination was Democratic Alliance (DA) eThekwini caucus leader Thabani Mthethwa,however he declined the nomination.
The mayor’s seat became vacant in June after the ANC in KZN removed Mxolisi Kaunda and redeployed him to the National Council of Provinces (NCOP).
After Kaunda’s departure, ANC nominated former member of Parliament Xaba.
Xaba was introduced as a councillor in the last council meeting held in June to fill the ANC vacant seat after Kaunda left.
The ANC in KZN welcomed the unopposed election of Xaba and saluted political parties for their collective display of commitment towards the creation of an efficient city.
“We have no doubt that his election will usher in a new era of accelerated service delivery for the benefit of residents and the business community in all corners of the City.”
“As we pointed out weeks ago, the people of eThekwini have a right to shape their socio-economic development trajectory. And more importantly, as voters, it is within your right to determine the pace of service delivery,” said ANC Provincial Secretary Bheki Mtolo.
Mtolo said the new mayor was the right leader who will lead the reconfiguration of the city to ensure that it responds to the needs of residents and the business at large.
Born in KwaZulu-Natal in 1967, the 57-year-old holds a Masters Degree in Law (LLM) from the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) in Durban. He also served in leadership roles in the Congress of South African Students (Cosas), Natal Students Congress, University of Natal Black Students Society, ANC Youth League, ANC Regional Executive Committee and ANC Provincial Executive Committee.
Watch Live in the video below:
Video Courtesy of Ethekwini Municipality.