The Democratic Alliance (DA) has secured a major court victory after the court declared the appointments of Ednick Msweli, Bheki Mkhize and Lindokuhle Mkhize to Senior Management positions at the eThekwini Municipality unlawful and unconstitutional.
This is a significant victory for the DA and, more importantly, for the residents of eThekwini, who deserve a municipality that respects the law, upholds transparency and puts the interests of the public before political agendas.
We took this matter to court because we refused to accept appointments that we believed were fundamentally flawed. Today, the court has vindicated our decision to challenge these appointments, declaring them invalid and setting them aside.
This judgment sends an unmistakable message to those in positions of power: no one is above the law, and political influence cannot be allowed to override the Constitution and legislation governing municipal appointments.
We are particularly pleased that the court also confirmed that DA councillors did not breach confidentiality rules by sharing information necessary to bring this case. Our councillors acted in the public interest, and this ruling reinforces the important role elected representatives play in exposing wrongdoing and holding municipal leadership accountable.
The court further ordered the respondents to pay the DA’s legal costs, including the costs of two counsel on Scale C. This is an important outcome and demonstrates that our decision to pursue this matter through the courts was justified.
This victory comes at a critical time for eThekwini. Residents continue to face prolonged water outages, failing infrastructure, poor service delivery and a municipality struggling to meet its most basic obligations. Against this backdrop, the city cannot afford questionable appointments or leadership decisions that undermine public confidence.
The people of eThekwini deserve competent, ethical and accountable senior management, appointed through lawful and transparent processes. Public positions must never be treated as political rewards. They carry a responsibility to serve the millions of residents who depend on the municipality for essential services.
Today’s ruling is proof that the DA will not be intimidated or deterred from challenging decisions that undermine good governance. We are prepared to stand up, take action and use every legal avenue available to protect residents’ interests.
We have won this battle, but our work is far from over. We will continue to scrutinise municipal decisions, expose wrongdoing and demand accountability from those entrusted with running our city.
This is a victory for the rule of law, accountability and the people of eThekwini. The DA will continue to hold those in power accountable.