By Charmaine Ndlela
Democratic Alliance (DA) eThekwini mayoral candidate Haniff Hoosen has lashed out at claims by eThekwini municipality that the party abandoned its court challenge to interdict the appointment of three senior managers.
Hoosen said the municipality was spreading “false information” by alleging the DA had walked away from its court application to interdict the “irregular” appointment of “incompetent” executive directors Ednick Msweli (Technical Services), Thando Mkhize (Operations Management), and Bhekinkosi Mkhize (Public Safety).
“The truth of the matter is that by mutual agreement, we set down the case for hearing on the dates reflected in the draft order. eThekwini municipality leadership are in my view professional liars and nobody in the city believes them anymore anyway,” Hoosen told Inside Politics.
He said the parties had agreed that the matter would be heard on 18, 19 and 20 February 2026, and that the municipality’s lawyers were aware of the arrangement.
At a press briefing last week, Hoosen said the ANC-led municipality was “rushing to hire its comrades in these positions because it knows that it will not come back to power next year [after the local government elections]”.
Hoosen’s comments on Thursday followed a statement released by eThekwini municipality earlier in the day, saying the DA had abandoned its court application.
“The DA’s sudden reversal reaffirms the municipality’s long-held position: that the party is not acting in the best interests of eThekwini residents. Instead, its actions appear aimed at destabilising the municipality and obstructing service delivery,” said the city.
“The municipality remains concerned that the DA’s frivolous legal actions continue to drain ratepayer resources and calls on the party to refrain from using the courts to pursue political agendas. Their conduct has now revealed their true intentions,” it said.
According to a draft court order seen by Inside Politics, the parties will approach the KwaZulu-Natal Judge President to allocate the matter, with counsel saying they are available for hearings on 18, 19, and 20 February 2026.
The application was launched by Hoosen on behalf of the DA.
INSIDE POLITICS