Newcastle Mayor Makhosini Nkosi officially resigned from his post with
A text message was circulated by Nkosi on January 11, whereby Nkosi confirmed his resignation as mayor. In the text message, he claimed he would be pursuing a legal career and will be joining the Durban Bar of Advocates as of January 15.
He further claims he resigned voluntarily, without any form of pressure from the African National Congress.
ANC secretary, Chris Mhlophe confirms Nkosi is pursuing a legal career. “He comes from a legal background and when this opportunity came up, he took it. We at the ANC wish him all the best in his venture.”
Furthermore, while the resignation was sudden, Mhlophe says as much as Nkosi worked for the community and the ANC, he needs to follow his dreams.
Looking to the future, Mhlophe says the ANC will now look at potential councillors who will be able to replace Nkosi. “The individual will need to have the necessary qualifications, charisma, and a history and background in both the ANC and politics.”
Alex Liu of the Inkhata Freedom Party (IFP) does not feel the situation is as cut and dry, as the ANC would like to portray. “We suspect internal politics within the ANC played a role in Nkosi’s resignation.”
What does this mean for the future of the municipality?
“I don’t think the mayor’s resignation and the suspension of the Municipal Manager will resolve the issues the municipality is facing,” Cllr Liu says.
Cllr Liu feels it is necessary to put the municipality under administration. “I am not saying it is the only solution, but the Newcastle Municipality’s financial situation needs to be addressed and putting it under administration can possibly help,” he explains.
Democratic Alliance Cllr Bebsie Cronje claims the recent change in the ANC leadership, as well as the internal party strife play a role in his resignation.
“Both of which are open secrets, including the loss of life, is without a doubt contributory. More recently his reasons for his resignation citing threats on his life and that of his family have been made public. It is very unfortunate that the chaos within the ANC, despite the false promise of a new dawn by their party president Cyril Ramaphosa, continues to plague the town and country.”
The DA believes former Cllr Nkosi knew this was coming, yet he still undertook to waste tax payers’ money by recently traveling to China.
“While we wish him well on the grounds of his own safety, we believe that an urgent forensic investigation must be launched into his administration. We call upon him to feature as a witness to expose people who he may believe are involved in the corruption and looting of the offices of our municipality. Otherwise, we will have more of the same.”
Cllr Cronje continues to say the ANC do not know how to deliver proper services, are involved in thuggery and looting and while faces change, the suffering of people remains the same. “Residents of Newcastle must punish the ANC at the ballot box in May. Enough is enough,” concludes Cllr Cronje.
One Response
The financial status of the municipality has worsened year on year!
People feel that officials are pressurized by politicians when trying to carry out their duties.
Makhosini inherited a financially unstable town and said so at the time. It is also said that things are not going to improve overnight, but when one sees the fruitless and wasteful expenditure within this municipality with NO accountability from anyone responsible, the future looks bleak for residents who have made Newcastle their home.