Mayor Bhekinkosi Mtolo has resigned from his post at the Kwazulu Natal municipality after being elected as an ANC provincial secretary. Mtolo has been an advocate for scrapping the ANC’s step-aside rule. In a letter addressed to the municipal speaker, Mtolo said he was unable to continue his mayoral duties as the ANC position was full-time.
“I leave this position with mixed emotions since I joined the greater Kokstad municipal political leadership in May 2011. It has been a journey of hardship, a commitment to serve our people selflessly guided by the principles, values, and the vision of the ANC of building a non-racial, non-sexist, and prosperous national democratic society,” he said.
He returned in 2016 as the mayor and got re-elected as mayor in the local government elections in November 2021. Mtolo says serving the municipality has been a great honour, they have demonstrated that it is indeed possible to make local government work, functional and stable, he leaves with his head held high.
He made headlines in June when he reportedly lashed out at municipal officials who were unreachable on their cellphones after hours. According to the witness report, Mtolo said officials should realise that they were public servants and needed to be reachable for service delivery matters at all times.
