Wednesday 14 August 2019
Abahlali baseMjondolo press statement
Abahlali welcomes the KZN ANC decision to fire Zandile Gumede
Yesterday the ANC Provincial Executive Committee (PEC) finally fired the long embattled mayor of eThekwini Zandile Gumede.
We wish to welcome this decision which is long overdue. Gumede is facing serious charges of corruption and irregularities. The charges relate to a R208 million Durban Solid Waste (DSW) tender to clean the city’s refuse. At least R37 million of that money was meant to provide water and sanitation to shack settlements in the city. It is alleged that Gumede has been interfering in the issuing of tenders in order to enrich herself. This is what the Nigel Gumede ANC told us in the past: that they will eat for us and on our behalf. They said as long as the ANC is in power Abahlali will get nothing from this government. We have seen that the Zandile Gumede ANC is the same as the Nigel Gumede ANC.
Zandile Gumede’s governance has been characterised by gangsterism and terror. Under her leadership Abahlali have lost many lives. Just in 2017, within a space of eight months, eight Abahlali activists were murdered by izinkabi zamakhansela, by the Metro police, the Land Invasion Unit and the South African Police Services. One of those killed was baby Jaydon Khoza who inhaled teargas during a brutal police raid on the Foreman Road settlement in Clare Estate in protest at Gumede’s refused to provide us with electricity.
We cannot forget that it was under Gumede’s leadership that the City decided to spend millions of rands buying armoured vehicles, designed for war, to protect itself from its poorest residents.
Our city has been in crisis for too long. Gumede is not the only problem. The ANC Chief Whip Neli Nyanisa once threatened Abahlali with violence in a full council meeting. We were very pleased to see that Nyanisa, along with Speaker of the Council Cllr William Mapena, and ANC and Cllr Mondli Mthembu, Chairperson of Human Settlement and Infrastructure, was also fired yesterday.
Amongst those who were fired today was uMsunduzi Mayor Cllr Themba Njilo. Pietermaritzburg has also been in a serious crisis for a long time and we welcome the action taken in that city too.
Gumede’s gangsterism has undermined women’s empowerment in our city. She has been a disgrace and shame to many who supported her to ascent to the mayoral position because they believe in women’s leadership. She has been fired in a women’s month. We call on the ANC to commit to genuine women’s empowerment, from below, that improves the lives and empowers women from the ground up. One powerful woman cannot be made to substitute for all other women, especially when she is a proponent of political gangsterism.
Gumede was not alone in corruption. The Hawks have confirmed that at least 62 ANC councillors are also involved in this corruption and are being investigated. We are told that their arrest is imminent. We hope that the Hawks will have the courage to act without fear and favour to arrest all councillors implicated in corruption.
We hope that the ANC is not going to redeploy the people that it has now fired in other public positions. We also hope that the ANC will take the integrity of people it deploys to government very seriously.
The struggle for land, dignity and freedom continues.
Contact:
S’bu Zikode 083 547 0474
Nomsa Sizani: 081 005 3686
Mqapheli Bonono: 073 067 3274