Ningi Mbanjwa eyes Msunduzi mayor’s office with bold 100-day recovery plan

The ANC’s mayoral shortlist for Msunduzi includes a public-sector veteran whose experience in infrastructure and employment programmes could face a new test after next Wednesday’s elections.

Ningi Mbanjwa, one of seven people shortlisted for mayor, is presenting her experience inside government as a potential asset.

Mbanjwa’s competitors include incumbent mayor Mzimkhulu Thebolla, former mayor Chris Ndlela, uMgungundlovu deputy mayor Sibongile Dlamini-Mabaso, Bishop Vusi Dube, ANC activist Zenzele Msomi and former councillor Najmah Ahmed.

ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula said last week that the party would make its final mayoral choices only after the vote on Wednesday.

For Mbanjwa, the question is whether administrative experience could translate into the political decisions needed to change Msunduzi.

Mbanjwa previously served as deputy director for the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) provincial coordination in KwaZulu-Natal’s Public Works Department. Departmental records show her working with municipalities on reporting failures and interventions.

She also brings political experience through the ANC Women’s League, Sanco and ANC branches, combining compliance work with grassroots organising.

From ANC ideology to municipal delivery

In written responses to Sunday World, Mbanjwa framed that combination through the ANC’s National Democratic Revolution, which she said required practical action against racial, class and gender inequalities.

“Political freedom must translate into economic participation, dignity and meaningful power for ordinary people,” she said.

“A child in Imbali or Edendale must have a fair opportunity to grow, learn and participate in the economy.”

Her views go beyond ideological commitments. She wants municipal contracts structured to allow small businesses to compete, infrastructure projects tied to apprenticeships and a published assessment mapping service backlogs ward by ward.

READ MORE: They want me dead, says suspended Msunduzi municipal manager

“Access must never depend on political connections,” Mbanjwa said of municipal economic opportunities.

She also challenged the way government measures job creation, drawing on her EPWP background.

“We must be honest about the distinction between a work opportunity and a permanent job,” she said, arguing that reports should disclose days worked, earnings, skills gained and what happens to participants afterwards.

Her proposed approach would also require the municipality to retain in-house capacity rather than become dependent on contractors for routine services.

The challenge of restoring municipal finances

On municipal finances, she makes a distinction between poor households unable to pay and customers withholding payment despite having the means. She proposes accurate billing, functioning meters and recovering money owed by businesses and government departments.

“An impairment provision reflects doubts about recovering debt; it does not itself bring cash into the municipality,” she said.

Mbanjwa also distinguishes between political oversight and administrative interference. A mayor, she argues, must hold officials accountable without choosing tender winners or directing contracts to associates.

But knowledge of the rules is only part of the test confronting any incoming mayor.

Parliamentary oversight has documented the scale of Msunduzi’s financial breakdown. In its 2024/25 accounts, the municipality paid creditors after an average of 191 days and incurred R114 million in fruitless and wasteful expenditure.

READ MORE: ANC concedes losing ground in KZN municipalities, confident on retaining eThekwini and Msunduzi

Mbanjwa proposes a public recovery plan within her first 100 days, containing verified financial and service-delivery baselines, quarterly targets and named officials responsible for delivery.

She says she would regard persistent failure to reduce overdue creditors, prolonged service interruptions or repeated failure to act on audit findings as grounds for resignation, subject to independent assessment.

“Political leadership requires the judgement to decide whose needs take priority, build agreement around difficult choices and account for when commitments are missed,” she said.

“I remain available to contribute, whoever is selected,” she said.