eThekwini Mayor Cyril Xaba has warned residents against voting for the MK Party, while the party says his criticism reflects fears about its growing support ahead of the local government elections.
Xaba said that, while there was always a temptation to try something new, Durban residents should not tempt fate by giving the MK Party control of the council.
Xaba was speaking during a debate hosted by the National Media Group in Durban yesterday. Representatives from various parties, including the ANC, EFF, DA, IFP, Action SA, MF and the MK Party, took part in the debate. The country is expected to hold the local government elections on 4 November.
The MK Party is expected to be a major force in eThekwini, while polls predicting the possible outcome of the elections have suggested that no party will emerge with an outright majority. The MK Party is expected to lead, with close to 40%, followed by the DA, ANC and IFP.
Xaba said eThekwini would be put at risk if the MK Party were given political power.
"Please do not try these guys. They will hollow out the city. They will steal whatever is left of the city. I know there is always a temptation to try something new, but please do not trust these guys," Xaba said.
Xaba said that even voting for the DA would mean opening the door for the MK Party to take over the running of the city.
MK Party provincial team member Professor Thamsanqa Mkhize said the remarks were not surprising and were born out of fear.
"He knows and sees who his biggest threat is. I almost want to say he is chasing after a moving car," Mkhize said.
Mkhize outlined the MK Party's plans should it be given power and stated that corruption, maladministration and poor performance would not be tolerated.
"We will scrutinise the work being done in the city, especially by the office of the city manager and the office of the chief financial officer. We will examine the tenders that have been awarded and whether they were awarded in an ethical manner. Should it be found that some of the procurement was not conducted in accordance with the law, there will be consequences. We will not tolerate any acts of irregularity," said Mkhize.
He added that the MK Party believed eThekwini was in need of rescuing.
"Listening to all the leaders who have spoken here, we believe that the city is in a mess," he said.
Mkhize indicated that the MK Party was open to coalition talks after the elections. He was responding to concerns that it was clear there would be no outright winner in eThekwini and that some parties would therefore need to form a coalition. He said the party would engage with other parties that aligned with its vision.
During the engagement, the different parties outlined their plans and spoke about the declining number of people participating in elections. They pointed out that many people had lost faith in the electoral process because of unethical practices.
"Many young people have lost faith in the voting process because of unethical leaders who are not transparent with their communities," said Action SA mayoral candidate Zwakele Mncwango.
Mncwango said his party was committed to transparency and ethical government that would be caring and ensure that communities believed in and saw their government working for them. He added that Action SA was committed to improving governance in the municipality. The party would not dictate which partner it would or would not work with, he said, adding that its focus was mainly on improving governance and accountability.
DA mayoral candidate Haniff Hoosen said the city of eThekwini had failed under its current leadership and that residents needed to choose different leadership.
"The ANC has made a mess, and someone else must be brought in to clean up this mess," he said.
He touched on the issue of public apathy, adding that it was clear that the public had lost faith in the electoral system because they had seen politicians' lives improve while their own lives had not.