Local government elections
Zainul Dawood|Published
Political parties in eThekwini had diverse views on how they would better handle the tender system after the Local Government Elections on November 4.
Prospective mayoral candidates and party representatives in eThekwini presented their plans for the 2026 Local Government Elections at IOL’s 2026 Town Hall Debates on Wednesday.
The Economic Freedom Fighters and the uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MKP) said they will scrap tenders. First up was Hlengiwe Mkhaliphi. EFF mayoral candidate and she said tenders breed corruption.
“One person gets a R20 million contract. They put R18 million in their pocket and go for a holiday to Dubai. They give the tender to a subcontractor who does not know how to fix the infrastructure. We are saying that local people must be employed,” she said.
Tenders must be scrapped
Thamisanqa Mkhize, of the MKP, said the party will scrap tenders and engage competent and qualified employees within the municipality. He said the MKP will employ qualified artisans and other professionals
Shameen Thakur-Rajbansi, Leader of the Minority Front, said if she were mayor, one of the things she would do would be to revise it. Thakur-Rajbansi said tender processes will be made accessible to the public.
“Tender secrecy is where the problem arises. The place where they advertise these tenders and the language used is also a problem. It is like the municipality has something to hide.
Thabani Nyawose, ANC eThekwini Speaker, explained that there is a committee that deals with tenders. He said they were competent to handle the process.
“If a company defaults, there are processes that terminate the contract. If anyone has information about corruption involving tenders, they should open a criminal case and report the matter,” he said.
Nyawose said that several people have been dismissed because of corruption.
Improve tender process
Selvan Govender, an IFP representative, said there should be a stringent process to handle tenders with follow-up procedures.
“Most subcontract the work and cannot be found when the work cannot be completed. We have seen companies get blacklisted and then change the name and directorship to get another tender,” he said.
Alicia Kissoon, representing the DA, touched on the tender process involving hiring a super contractor to handle plumbing contracts in eThekwini.
“They were a group of people who won a tender with no experience. Now we have an issue with plumber protests. The system is not transparent. There is no accountability or consequence management. People from all walks of life should be able to apply.
Zwakele Mncwango. ActionSA mayoral candidate said his priority will be to insource essential services.
“We believe in transparency. We need to know how a company is awarded, the criteria, and how it was awarded. We will remove political interference.
Asad Gaffar. Ethekwini Ratepayers Political Movement. (ERPM) said there is a legislature on how to deal with the matter and how to govern tenders.
“We found huge discrepancies with the municipal finances and votes used for tenders,” he said.