ANC hits back after eThekwini councillors Ngubane and Mbambo join DA, labels them ‘deadwood’

Former ANC councillors David Ngubane and Marco Mbambo have joined the DA in eThekwini.

The ANC in eThekwini has described two former councillors who defected to the Democratic Alliance (DA) as deadwood, saying they had already been rejected by their communities during the party’s candidate selection process before crossing over to the opposition.

This comes after the DA announced in Durban on Tuesday that former ANC councillors David Ngubane and Marco Mbambo had joined the party ahead of the 2026 Local Government Elections.

DA KwaZulu-Natal leader Sithembiso Ngema said the pair had joined the party because they aligned with its values and vision of "fair, accountable and effective government".

Ngema said both councillors had served eThekwini since 2021 and described their departure from the ANC as "a clear indication that the ANC in eThekwini has not only lost the trust of their voters in eThekwini, but they have lost the trust of their internal structures."