Supporters of former eThekwini mayor Zandile Gumede on Thursday said they were happy to have her reinstated as a member of the KwaZulu-Natal legislature.

This follows the decision of the ruling African National Congress (ANC) to have her cleared of involvement in multimillion-rand tender fraud during her tenure as mayor.

Gumede was placed on special leave in August, a week before her appointment to her position.

In an interview with Polity, spokesperson for Gumede supporters, Mzomuhle Dube, said they were happy to have her back, especially as the party was preparing for the regional conference and the start of local government electioneering.

"We somehow feel vindicated . . . we knew that Gumede has no charges before court and, by its own admission, the court effected the arrest without any evidence of wrongdoing or outcome of investigation, " said Dube.  

Meanwhile, the opposition Democratic Alliance (DA) has said the decision by the ANC Integrity Commission to clear Gumede was reckless.

In a statement, DA chief whip in the KwaZulu-Natal Legislature Francois Rogers said the ANC was incapable of recognising that, by placing corruption-accused members into positions of influence, it was hindering efforts to end the scourge of corruption.

He said the ANC was instead sending a message that corruption pays.