In November 2009, Nelson Mandela Bay mayor Nondumiso Maphazi was forced to step down, along with her deputy, Bicks Ndoni, and speaker Charmaine Williams, for refusing to toe the party line.
She had resisted political interference from the ANC’s regional headquarters, led then by Nceba Faku and Zandisile Qupe.
At the time, Maphazi refused to give in to demands from the party’s leaders in the region to fire municipal manager Graham Richards, despite allegations (which were later proved to be baseless) that he was corrupt.
In an interview with this newspaper on the day she, Ndoni and Williams stepped down, Maphazi said the pressure to have her ousted was further motivated by her wanting a report tabled in the council that cleared Richards of wrongdoing.
“The last report was a scanty report because they had nothing tangible on Graham.
“They will not get anything on Graham — he’s clean to me, and some of the things that are alleged against him were before his time.
“The way the investigation is handled, it seems like it is a way to get something out of Graham or maybe to push him out completely,” she said at the time, adding that she felt betrayed by her comrades.
This was an important moment in Maphazi’s career in public service because it demonstrated her ethics and willingness to stand up to political pressure, even if it cost her her job.
And this is how many will remember the first woman mayor of the Bay, who died in a Johannesburg hospital on Monday night.
Friends, even those who were on the opposition benches when she led the council between 2006 and 2009, have spoken highly of her integrity as a leader of substance.
Williams said Maphazi’s leadership was marked by humility, honesty, integrity and her commitment to love and serve the people of the metro above her own interests.
“She commanded respect from the administration and councillors, irrespective of their political persuasion.”
All public representatives can learn from Maphazi’s example — a woman who led fearlessly, with dignity and a heart of gold.
The Herald
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.