The MEC of COGTA, Nomusa Ncube Dube, is likely to intervene in Nquthu following two council meetings where councillors had failed to elect an executive committee.
The IFP Member of KZN Parliament, Blessed Gwala, when speaking on Ukhozi FM criticised the MEC claiming that she is ‘wrong’ to intervene in council matters. Gwala said Dube is ‘abusing power’ to please her party, the ANC. He also stated that other IFP Councillors in Nquthu are receiving death threats. The ANC is disputing the outcome of the Nquthu Municipal council meeting in which the Inkatha Freedom Party’s, Siyabonga Kunene, was elected as Mayor.
The municipality is comprised of 15 IFP councillors, 14 ANC, two National Freedom Party (NFP) while the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) and the Democratic Alliance (DA) have one each. The ruling party argues that the IFP, DA and EFF went ahead with a meeting despite a directive from the provincial COGTA Department postponing the sitting.
“We have written letters to the IEC and COGTA and we have also instructed our lawyers to interdict everything that happened on that day. We are still waiting to be informed of the date when the council meeting will be convened to elect office bearers,” said Regional Secretary, Bheki Lembethe. The Umzinyathi District Council are also at loggerheads since the Nquthu Municipality has not submitted names of Councillors who will be represented at Umzinyathi.
This is not the first time that Umzinyathi has experienced such problems. Before the elections the district municipality was without a mayor for over six months following the resignation of Reverend Mthethwa.
