Having been redeployed to the National Council of Provinces in Cape Town, today, Friday June 14, makes Mxolisi Kaunda’ last day as mayor of the eThekwini Municipality.

Addressing an audience at Durban City Hall on Thursday afternoon, Mr Kaunda said he wanted to take the opportunity to thank the ANC for the confidence it has shown in him and for the support it has provided during his time as the mayor.

He also conveyed his gratitude to the Troika, EXCO and all councillors of eThekwini and thanked the people of eThekwini for working with the mayoral team in steering the city in the right direction. The collaboration they have forged with business, labour, interfaith, aMakhosi, academia and the civil society has contributed immensely in rebuilding the city following a string of catastrophic events, he said.

“You will recall that shortly after I was deployed to the municipality in 2019, we were faced with severe floods which destroyed the city’s infrastructure.

“Early in 2020, the world was faced with the Covid-19 pandemic which threatened both our lives and livelihood. Because of the strong partnership we had formed with social partners, we were able to develop an impactful economic recovery plan which has become our blueprint to respond to disasters,” said Mr Kaunda.

Likewise, he added that, everyone came together to formulate a response to the 2021 July civil unrest and the recurring floods. Today the city is using the same model to adequately respond to the plight of the people who were affected by the recent tornado in areas such as uThongathi, Mgababa, Ilovu, Dossenhoek and many other areas.

“The work of rebuilding the city’s infrastructure is ongoing and I want to assure the residents of eThekwini that this work is on track. One of the key tasks the ANC gave us in 2019 was to stabilise the municipality, strengthen governance and improve service delivery. Notwithstanding all the challenges, we are proud that eThekwini is stable both politically and administratively,” said Mr Kaunda.

He added that the city remains one of the few municipalities in the country that does not owe Eskom. The city’s account for bulk water services from uMgeni-uThukela Water is up to date as well. The inner-city regeneration programme remains a cornerstone to building a vibrant, safe and investor-friendly city, Mr Kaunda said. He added that they were happy with the strides they have made in this area as they are currently working with property owners to eradicate bad buildings.

“The city is implementing tough measures to deal with crime and grime. This include the recruitment of 400 Metro Police officers annually and the rolling out of the smart policing initiatives. Recently, we have deployed 300 urban Precinct Ambassadors to improve safety and cleanliness in the city,” Mr Kaunda said.

Mr Kaunda wished his successor everything of the best. ANC provincial secretary, Bheki Mtolo said Mr Kaunda’s replacement will be announced following consultation with relevant structures and leadership.

Mr Kaunda was previously KZN MEC for Transport, Community Safety and Liaison from 2016 to 2019 and member of the KZN legislature from 2009 to 2019. He became mayor after Ms Zandile Gumede was axed and arrested and charged for fraud and corruption emanating from a 2017 R208 million waste tender.

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Kaunda reflects on his time as mayor as he is redeployed to NCOP