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Mayor Mxolisi Kaunda’s latest missive – municipal communication with the wording “Say No to Racial Tension” –  shows just how out of touch and inept he is.

Shortly after the imprisonment of Jacob Zuma, Kaunda joined the populist call for his release. He did this after it was clear that Zuma supporters were inciting violence, looting and chaos. He later attempted to mitigate this by saying he was on leave and speaking as an ANC member.

The reality is that his personal capacity is irrelevant and no one cares in which capacity he was speaking as he is the Mayor of eThekwini.

Whilst his city went up in smoke, Kaunda then put out a weak call for calm. He apparently told the media that the deployment of the SANDF wasn’t necessary and that local law enforcement had the situation under control.

Nothing was further from the truth. Durbanites were (and still are) living in terror as chaos reigned supreme. Communities around Durban were forced to organise and take back control to stop violence and looting.

Instead of assisting and commending communities who are working day and night to protect themselves, the ANC has now pivoted to the implication that this is a racial issue.

This crisis has left eThekwini’s “emperor” proverbially naked. It has shown that he does not feel the real suffering and fear of his people and that he cannot put eThekwini before himself and the ANC.

The DA has today requested the Executive Committee to urgently convene to understand how the city is responding, deploying resources and working with the national government.

We urge communities to stay strong, united and not get drawn into the ANC’s racial gas lighting. The ANC created this situation, let it fester and they must not think they can blame ordinary people for the mess.

Kaunda’s weak leadership has let eThekwini down badly and the DA will ensure he pays the price.

Issued by The DA