What They Tried to Hide: Philani Mavundla Expose the Mastermind Behind the eThekwini Political Drama

Abantu Batho Congress (ABC) president Philani “PG” Mavundla has revealed that former South African president Jacob Zuma persuaded him in 2021 to help the African National Congress (ANC) retain control of eThekwini Municipality, reigniting debate about political alliances and the shifting relationships between parties in KwaZulu-Natal.

Speaking to the media, Mavundla reportedly explained that Zuma approached him during the aftermath of the 2021 local government elections, when the ANC faced the possibility of losing control of the eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality following a significant decline in electoral support.

Mavundla’s comments were shared by KZN Tonight Podcast, highlighting the political negotiations that helped determine the leadership of one of South Africa’s most important metropolitan municipalities.

The revelation also comes with a pointed criticism of the Democratic Alliance (DA) and the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP), which Mavundla says have questioned his decision to support the ANC despite later entering a provincial governing arrangement with the same party.

Following the 2021 municipal elections, the ANC faced difficult coalition negotiations in several major municipalities, including eThekwini.

The party had lost its outright majority in the metro, creating an opportunity for opposition parties to challenge its continued control.

Contemporary reports indicated that Zuma played a role in persuading Mavundla and smaller political formations to support the ANC during the negotiations. ANC councillors subsequently visited Zuma at his Nkandla residence to thank him for his intervention in helping the party retain the municipality.

The negotiations resulted in ANC councillor Mxolisi Kaunda retaining the mayoral position, while Mavundla became deputy mayor.

The arrangement demonstrated how smaller parties could exercise considerable influence when no single party secured enough votes to govern independently.

Mavundla has also questioned why the DA and IFP criticise his decision to support the ANC in eThekwini when those parties subsequently joined the ANC in KwaZulu-Natal’s Government of Provincial Unity (GPU) following the 2024 elections.

The GPU brought together the ANC, DA, IFP and National Freedom Party (NFP), among other participants in the provincial political arrangement.

The IFP confirmed that the DA and ANC supported its candidate, Thami Ntuli, for the premiership of KwaZulu-Natal in June 2024.

Mavundla’s argument highlights what he sees as an inconsistency in the criticism directed at him over coalition politics.

However, the circumstances surrounding the 2021 eThekwini negotiations and the 2024 provincial government arrangement were different, involving separate elections, political negotiations and governing objectives.

The controversy illustrates the influence smaller political parties can have in determining who governs when election results produce no outright majority.

For voters, these arrangements raise important questions about political consistency, accountability and the decisions parties make after elections.

Mavundla’s latest remarks have brought the 2021 eThekwini negotiations back into focus, with attention now turning to how political parties justify their alliances when circumstances change.

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