Philani Mavundla

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Philani Mavunda
Deputy Mayor of the eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality
Assumed office
24 November 2021
Preceded by
Leader of the Abantu Batho Congress
Assumed office
January 2020
Preceded byParty established
Personal details
Born
Philani Godfrey Mavundla

1966/1967 (age 54–55)
Clermont, Durban, South Africa
Political partyAbantu Batho Congress (2020–present)
National Freedom Party (2019–2020)
African National Congress (Until 2019)
Spouse(s)Cindy, Tersia and Mpume
Children21
ProfessionPolitician, businessman

Philani Godfrey Mavundla is a South African politician and business tycoon who has been the Deputy Mayor of the eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality since 2021. He is the founder and current leader of the Abantu Batho Congress, a party he founded in early-2020 after he resigned from the National Freedom Party. Mavundla is also a former African National Congress member. He served as the mayor of the Umvoti Local Municipality while a member of the African National Congress (ANC).

Early life[]

Mavundla was born in the Clermont township outside Pinetown in Durban. He became an entrepreneur at the age of 12. He sold snacks to his schoolmates. At the age of 16, Mavundla left school to go and work for a tyre manufacturing company in Welkom in the Free State. He later returned to Durban and worked for a multiple construction companies and earned a boilermaker certificate.[1]

Career[]

In 1994, he and two friends formed a construction company, Maziya Engineering. Two years later, he formed his own construction company, PG Mavundla Engineering. It has been involved with big construction projects in KwaZulu-Natal, Gauteng and in the neighbouring country of Lesotho.[1] Mavundla was involved in the construction of uShaka Marine World in Durban, the Inkosi Albert Luthuli International Convention Centre in Durban, the Sibaya Casino in Durban, and the John Ross Highway Bridge in Richards Bay.[1]

Political career[]

Mavunda is a close-friend of former ANC president Jacob Zuma and was involved with the Friends of Jacob Zuma Trust, a trust set up by businessman Don Mkhwanazi in 2005 to raise money for Zuma's defence against his fraud and corruption charges at the time.[2] In 2008, he slaughtered 20 cattle to celebrate Zuma's election as ANC president. He attracted controversy in 2008 when he removed a portrait of Inkatha Freedom Party president Mangosuthu Buthelezi from the uMvoti council chamber and placed it in the boot of his car.[3] In 2009, Mavundla burnt a businessman's R2 million truck after it drove over sugar cane at this property in Seven Oaks.[1]

In 2011, he was elected mayor of the uMvoti Local Municipality as a member of the ANC. As mayor, he refused to accept his annual salary of R700,000 and used his personal car for official duties.[2][4] Mavundla resigned as mayor on 14 June 2013 instead of presenting a budget.[5][6]

In June 2019, Mavundla resigned from the ANC and joined the National Freedom Party.[7] He stood as the NFP candidate in a by-election in ward 7 in the uMvoti Municipality in August 2019 and won the seat from the ANC in a landslide. He won with 56.69% of the vote. The ANC had won the ward with 82.22% of the vote in 2016.[8] Mavundla was seen as a potential successor to NFP leader Zanele kaMagwaza-Msibi.[9]

Mavundla resigned from the NFP in January 2020 after it was alleged that he would be starting his own political party.[10] He then formed the Abantu Batho Congress soon after.[11] The party contested the 2021 local elections and won seven seats in uMvoti local municipality as the ANC lost their majority.[12] The party also won several seats in other municipalities in KwaZulu-Natal, including two seats in the eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality where the ANC had lost their majority.[13]

Mavundla was then sworn in as a councillor for the ABC in eThekwini. At the inaugural council meeting of the eThekwini municipality on 22 November 2021, it appeared that the ANC was going to lose the mayor and deputy mayor positions to a coalition of opposition parties, including the ABC. The meeting was then postponed to 24 November. At the meeting on 24 November, Mavundla was nominated by the ANC to serve on the executive committee.[14] The ANC's Mxolisi Kaunda was then re-elected as mayor with the help of smaller parties, including the ABC. After Kaunda's re-election, Mavundla was elected deputy mayor.[15][16][17]

Mavundla denied that he was "bought" by the ANC, saying that "buying me would be too expensive". An insider within the ABC claimed that Mavundla took the decision to side with the ANC because working with the Democratic Alliance would have been difficult.[18]

Personal life[]

Mavundla is a polygamist. He has three wives, Cindy, Tersia and Mpume, and 21 children.[1] In 2010, one of his wives, Thandi Mavundla, was found dead.[19]

References[]

  1. ^ a b c d e "Catching them while they are young". www.iol.co.za. Retrieved 2021-12-05.
  2. ^ a b Digital, Drum. "Who is Philani Mavundla?". Drum. Retrieved 2021-12-05.
  3. ^ Mgaga, Thando. "Greytown councillors enraged at removal of Buthelezi portrait". Witness. Retrieved 2021-12-05.
  4. ^ "Too rich for a mayor's perks". TimesLIVE. Retrieved 2021-12-05.
  5. ^ Ngqulunga, Thobani. "Mayor's resignation welcomed". Witness. Retrieved 2021-12-05.
  6. ^ Ngqulunga, Thobani. "Mayor quits as alliance fails". Witness. Retrieved 2021-12-05.
  7. ^ Sithole, Andile. "Politician finds a new home". News24. Retrieved 2021-12-05.
  8. ^ "Party scores landslide win in 2019 by-election". News24. Retrieved 2021-12-05.
  9. ^ "NFP banks on ex-mayor Mavundla". www.iol.co.za. Retrieved 2021-12-05.
  10. ^ "KZN businessman Philani Mavundla leaves NFP". The Citizen. 2020-01-20. Retrieved 2021-12-05.
  11. ^ "Greytown tycoon and former mayor forms new political party". News24. Retrieved 2021-12-05.
  12. ^ https://www.timeslive.co.za/authors/orrin-singh. "Former ANC mayor makes a comeback after launching his own party". TimesLIVE. Retrieved 2021-12-05. {{cite web}}: External link in |last= (help)
  13. ^ "eThekwini Election Results | 100 percent complete: ANC needs coalition partners". The South African. 2021-11-04. Retrieved 2021-12-05.
  14. ^ https://www.sowetanlive.co.za/authors/zimasa-matiwane. "Former Zuma backer gets crucial eThekwini executive committee seat as voting for mayor starts". SowetanLIVE. Retrieved 2021-12-05. {{cite web}}: External link in |last= (help)
  15. ^ "Abantu Butho Congress founder takes eThekwini's deputy mayor position". Berea Mail. 2021-11-24. Retrieved 2021-12-05.
  16. ^ "ANC's bruising battle to retain eThekwini successful, re-elected Mayor Mxolisi Kaunda says he will put people first". www.iol.co.za. Retrieved 2021-12-05.
  17. ^ "ANC holds on to eThekwini Metro with return of mayor Mxolisi Kaunda and new deputy Philani Mavundla". www.iol.co.za. Retrieved 2021-12-05.
  18. ^ "WATCH: Buying me would be too expensive, says Philani Mavundla after boosting ANC chances in eThekwini mayoral race". www.iol.co.za. Retrieved 2021-12-05.
  19. ^ Reporter, Witness. "Greytown: ANC leader's wife found dead". Witness. Retrieved 2021-12-05.
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