DA returns to court to challenge appointments of three senior eThekwini officials

By Sihle Mavuso

The Democratic Alliance (DA) in KwaZulu-Natal will return to the Durban High Court on Thursday in its bid to have the appointments of three senior eThekwini Municipality executives declared unlawful and set aside.

The party is challenging the appointments of Ednick Msweli as Executive Director for Water and Sanitation, Cyril Mkhize as Executive Director for Public Safety and Lindokuhle Mkhize as Executive Director for Operations Management.

The application was first heard on an urgent basis in December 2025, a month after the appointments were approved by the municipal council.

The matter was partially argued before being postponed to Thursday.

The DA argues that the appointments were procedurally flawed and that the officials did not meet the minimum qualifications and experience required for the positions.

In court papers, the party contends that Msweli’s appointment fails the rationality test because he previously headed the municipality’s water services division during