KwaZulu-Natal Premier Sihle Zikalala emphasised on Monday that until processes on co-government by different political parties have been completed and new councils are sworn in, all currently constituted structures remain in place.

Zikalala was briefing the media on recent developments in the province, saying the country’s Constitution does not allow for a vacuum and requires a smooth democratic handover from one administration to the next.

He said since last Monday’s elections a few unpleasant scenes were noted, in which certain people were seen toyi-toying and “demanding keys” to certain buildings and others engaging in other forms of provocation.

He said all these were accompanied by insults hurled at municipal officials who, he stressed, are public servants and not politicians.

“We wish to remind all citizens that public servants are employed in line with the relevant legislation governing employment in South Africa including the Labour Relations Act. Therefore, they must be allowed to discharge their duties without any interference or victimisation. Any practices to the contrary must be reported to the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Leadership, so that these incidents can be dealt with immediately,” he said.

Zikalala explained that the province has 20 local municipalities and 1 metro that must be co-governed by different political parties, adding that it is not known yet which of the 10 districts will fall in this category.

He appealed to all political parties to be united and to work together, adding that political parties must never lose sight of the fact that they have a province to develop, and a country to grow.

He said that the people have spoken and declared that there should be no outright winner. This is a clear message that voters want political parties to work together, through the democratic process, co-govern KwaZulu-Natal, he added.

Zikalala explained that the Constitution envisages and demands that political transitions must always take place in a manner that is smooth, democratic and procedural.

“While it is natural for people to want to celebrate victory, none must do so by infringing on the rights of others and at the risk of polarising other sections of society. Elections are behind us. It is time for us to build unity and to recharge the institutions that are necessary for us to serve our communities better,” he said.

RE-CONSTITUTION OF NEW MUNICIPAL COUNCILS

Zikalala explained that the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) will on Monday publish the 2021 local government election results in the Government Gazette.

As soon as political parties have concluded their processes, Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs will work with all affected municipalities to reconstitute the councils and facilitate the election of office bearers, as per the requirements of the Municipal Structures Act.

Zikalala said the province has a plan to ensure that all municipalities meet the legal deadline which requires them to reconstitute themselves within 14 days after the gazetting of election results by the IEC.