A former ANC deputy mayor in KwaZulu-Natal has joined the DA after resigning from the uMngeni municipality and the ANC due to death threats. 

Nompumelelo Buthelezi left the municipality and the ANC just days before the local government elections. 

TimesLIVE was unable to reach Mkhize on Sunday however DA mayoral candidate in uMngeni Chris Pappas said the party was pleased to welcome Mkhize. 

“The DA in uMngeni is pleased to welcome mam Nompumelelo Buthelezi to our team. 

“Nompumelelo entered local politics to change the lives of her community. However, as she stated, she was part of an organisation that failed to deliver,” said Pappas. 

Mkhize had been a member of the ANC for over 12 years, Pappas said, and she has now chosen the DA as her new political home because she has seen how the party can deliver and improve people's lives in local government. 

He added that the DA's  manifesto and vision not only inspired Mkhize but many others during the local government election campaign. 

“This move goes a long way to show people that it is OK to change your vote and that you do not have to be in an abusive relationship with one party forever. By changing your vote you can change your future,” he said. 

Pappas called on the people of uMngeni to “please lend the DA their vote for five years. We are ready to get things done.”

Meanwhile the DA is looking to make history in KwaZulu-Natal by clinching a victory that will see it govern a municipality in the province for the first time. 

The party has set its sights on uMngeni municipality, where fewer than 2,500 votes is the difference between the DA and the governing ANC, the only two parties represented in the municipal council. 

TimesLIVE