Various political parties and ratepayer organisations reacted with mixed responses to the recent appointment of the Economic Freedom Fighters’ (EFF) Themba Mvubu as Chairperson of the Human Settlement, Engineering, and Transport Portfolio Committee. The announcement was made at Tuesday’s Executive meeting on 22 October.
ActionSA KZN Provincial Chairperson and eThekwini Caucus Leader Zwakele Mncwango welcomed the decision, stating that the portfolio had suffered from a lack of leadership. Mncwango added that delays in appointing a new chairperson had impacted service delivery and affected residents’ lives.
“We believe the recent urgency to appoint a chairperson was prompted by recent disasters in eThekwini due to heavy rains. We will remain vigilant and scrutinise the performance of both the chairperson of this portfolio and the Trading Services portfolio. Both are essential to municipal service delivery, and we will ensure they are accountable to the residents of eThekwini,” Mncwango stated.
Earlier this month, Mncwango pointed to eThekwini Municipality’s misuse of funds, criticising an overspend on security and cleaning for unused Go! Durban bus terminals in Pinetown and KwaMashu. In response, eThekwini spokesperson Gugu Sisilana clarified that R2.1 million had been spent on cleaning 12 stations and 24 transfer facilities, correcting Mncwango’s initial claims of over R5 million in expenditures.
DA eThekwini Caucus Leader Thabani Mthethwa voiced opposition, calling Mvubu’s appointment “absurd” given his previous underperformance and removal from the same position earlier this year. Mthethwa stated, “It is absurd to reappoint him now, as the municipality needs to be fully prepared to welcome tourists for the festive season. His poor performance last year led to infrastructure issues that resulted in closed beaches and a loss of tourism revenue.”
Bluff Ratepayers & Residents Association Chairperson Norman Gilbert expressed similar concerns. “It is deeply concerning that the eThekwini executive has reappointed Mvubu after previously removing him due to incompetence. Critical issues continue to hold back the city’s economy, with our beaches closed and tourism stalled. We cannot afford to gamble on the hope that his performance will improve.”
Mvubu was first appointed to this position in 2023 before being removed earlier this year due to underperformance. The portfolio remained vacant from April to October until his reappointment.
The Go! Durban initiative forms part of the eThekwini Municipality’s Integrated Development Plan (IDP), which aims to provide up to 85% of Durban residents with safe, affordable, quality public transport by 2030. The system promises buses every 5 to 10 minutes during peak hours and every 10 to 30 minutes during off-peak hours, with services running 16 to 24 hours daily.
