Mthembu elected deputy speaker of KZN legislature

LONG-SERVING KwaZulu-Natal SACP provincial secretary Themba Mthembu was elected as the new deputy speaker of the KZN provincial legislature yesterday in a move backed by opposition political parties.

Mthembu’s election followed a tough month for the legislature, which saw the death of its deputy speaker, Mluleki Ndobe, who had held the position since May 2019.

In a show of confidence in Mthembu, two IFP MPLs, Blessed Gwala and Petros Msimango, seconded Mthembu’s nomination while the EFF and DA welcomed his election.

EFF provincial leader and MPL Vusi Khoza said his appointment was welcomed. “But if he shows any bias and a lack of respect for the rules of the house then we will not tolerate that and we will let him know,” he said.

The DA’s Zwakele Mncwango said given Mthembu’s previous role as chairperson of committees, he would be able to complement the incumbent speaker Nontembeko Boyce as he was equipped to take on the challenges.

However, he said they were concerned by the delays in the deputy speaker’s appointment, which he said pointed to indecisiveness in the ANC as a result of factionalism.

But ANC KZN spokesperson Nhlakanipho Ntombela said there had been no delays and the DA had not raised such concerns in recent sittings.

“The deputy speaker (Ndobe) passed on two weeks back and there’s a new deputy speaker now. There is no delay there, so I don’t understand what they’re saying. They were even in the sitting and never even contested that position of deputy speaker,” he said.