Zandile Gumede (left) with KZN Legislature Speaker Nontembeko Boyce (right). Picture: Supplied
Faizel Patel – 19/08/2020
The Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) says the African National Congress (ANC) should be ashamed to deploy former eThekwini Mayor Zandile Gumede to the provincial legislature in KwaZulu-Natal.
Gumede was sworn in on Wednesday replacing Ricardo Mthembu who died last month after contracting COVID-19.
The former mayor of Ethekwini was released on R50,000 bail after she was arrested last year on corruption charges linked to multi-million rand tender fraud.
The ANC removed Gumede as mayor last year citing poor performance, but the party says she is now fit to serve as a provincial lawmaker.
Speaking to Radio Islam, the IFP’s Velenkosini Hlabisa says the ANC has no shame.
“The IFP in KwaZulu-Natal regards the swearing in of Zandile Gumede as a shameful and disgraceful act by the ANC in KwaZulu-Natal. We all know Zandile Gumede is having a string of allegations involving millions of rands during her period while she was the mayor at eThekwini.”
Hlabisa says the deployment of Gumede to the legislature is recycling of corruption.
“This is a true reflection of ANC, that they are really not committed in fighting corruption. It’s a contradiction of what they say that they are fighting against corruption.”
Other political parties including the Democratic Alliance (DA) and the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) have also criticised the ANC decision to deploy Gumede to the provincial legislature.
Listen to the interview with Velenkosini Hlabisa
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