After 15 years of representing the Wild Coast communities of Coffee Bay and Hole-in-the-Wall, veteran councillor Jeffrey Msakeni has lost his seat in the recent municipal elections. Msakeni, who contested as an independent, was defeated by the ANC's Nomvula Dyongosi, his former ward committee leader, in Ward 24 of the King Sabata Dalindyebo municipality. Dyongosi has been leading Msakeni's ward committee since 2021.
Msakeni, 76, served three terms as a councillor, first as an independent, then as an ANC councillor, and finally as an independent again in 2021. In that election, he received 1,463 votes, or 53.5%, against the ANC's 1,033 votes, or 37.8%. This year, 16 candidates contested the ward, which includes Coffee Bay, Hole-in-the-Wall, Lower Nenga, and surrounding villages. Despite his loss, Msakeni remains the local ANC branch chair and a member in good standing.
Msakeni views his defeat as a blessing in disguise, allowing him to focus on his businesses, family, and community work. As a businessman and family man with 10 children and 28 grandchildren, he found it challenging to balance his councillor responsibilities with his other commitments. "Being a councillor is servanthood; it requires full commitment," he said. "That responsibility was taking too much of my time, and I ended up not properly running and monitoring my businesses."
Msakeni's departure from the council will not mark the end of his involvement in community development. He expressed his willingness to share his expertise to further development in the area and improve the ocean economy. Dyongosi, the incoming councillor, will oversee a ward crucial to the municipality's leisure tourism economy, featuring beaches, surf breaks, hiking trails, and lodges. The area is identified as a recreational tourism node in municipal planning documents.
The King Sabata Dalindyebo municipality's local economic development strategy highlights tourism as a key driver of development, with the Coffee Bay and Hole-in-the-Wall ecotourism node being a flagship project. However, the municipality acknowledges that limited infrastructure, difficult access, and rugged terrain constrain the area's potential. Provincial plans include upgrading the Wild Coast Meander route between Coffee Bay and Zithulele to improve tourism access and support local economic development.
Msakeni urged residents to support the incoming councillor and help develop the area. He emphasized that his departure from the council would allow him to focus on his humanitarian work, which has positively impacted many people in and around Coffee Bay, Mqanduli, and Elliotdale. Msakeni is prepared to work with Dyongosi and contribute to the area's development.
With his newfound free time, Msakeni plans to devote more attention to his businesses and family. He is grateful that the voters have spoken and a new councillor has emerged. Msakeni is also pleased to have lost to the ANC candidate, Nomvula Dyongosi, rather than a candidate from another party. He looks forward to seeing how development in the area can be taken further under Dyongosi's leadership.
Key points
- Jeffrey Msakeni, a 76-year-old veteran councillor, has lost his seat in the King Sabata Dalindyebo municipality's Ward 24 after 15 years of service.
