ANC breaks the stalemate as Impendle prepares to finally elect a new mayor

After more than half a year of political gridlock, the small but strategically important Impendle Local Municipality outside Pietermaritzburg is finally moving toward appointing a new mayor and this time, the African National Congress has decided to look beyond its own council benches.

On Friday, councillors are expected to convene to elect a mayor from outside the current municipal caucus, ending a leadership vacuum that has hung over the 10-seat council since July last year.

How Impendle ended up leaderless

The trouble began when former mayor Buyisani Mlaba was removed through a vote of no confidence. The motion was brought by the EFF, while ANC councillors with the exception of the mayor, chose to abstain. Since then, the municipality has struggled to agree on who should take the reins.

Despite holding six seats, the ANC found itself paralysed by internal resistance. Provincial leadership pushed for an external candidate, arguing that fresh leadership was needed. Local councillors, however, wanted the mayor to be chosen from within their ranks. That standoff dragged on for months.

With the EFF and IFP holding two seats each, the deadlock left Impendle without a mayor and without clear political direction.

A resignation clears the path

The breakthrough came this week after ANC provincial coordinator Mike Mabuyakhulu confirmed that the party had reached an agreement with its caucus. As part of that deal, council Speaker Sizwe Ndlela resigned on Monday, creating space for an external candidate to be sworn in as a councillor before being elected mayor.

“We have reached an agreement with our caucus to elect a mayor from outside the current caucus,” Mabuyakhulu said, confirming that Friday’s meeting would go ahead.

Pressure from Cogta and a municipality in distress

The timing is no coincidence. The KwaZulu-Natal Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) had issued a directive ordering the council to elect a mayor by Thursday.

Just days earlier, Cogta MEC Reverend Thulasizwe Buthelezi visited the financially distressed municipality, where workers had not been paid their salaries. During the visit, he pointed to the absence of a mayor as a key factor behind Impendle’s administrative and financial collapse.

Public frustration and cautious hope

Locally, the drawn-out saga has tested residents’ patience. On community WhatsApp groups and social media, residents have repeatedly complained about stalled service delivery, unpaid municipal workers, and councillors “fighting politics while the town suffers”.

Friday’s meeting is now being watched closely not just as a political event, but as a turning point. For many in Impendle, the hope is simple: stable leadership that can get salaries paid, finances back on track, and basic governance working again.

Whether an outside mayor can unite a divided council remains to be seen. But after months of drift, Impendle is at least moving forward.

{Source: IOL}

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