Following weeks of wrangling and Court case, Sipho Hlomuka, KZN MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) announced before the councillors of the Nquthu local municipality the Provincial Government’s decision to place this municipality under administration in terms of Section 139(1)b of the Constitution.
MEC Hlomuka met with the councillors on Wednesday in the parking area of the municipality after his delegation found the Municipal Council Chamber locked despite the Municipality being told of the meeting.
The MEC, who convened the meeting which was attended by ANC, DA and NFP councillors.
Speaking to the Councillors MEC Hlomuka said “This decision is the culmination of Cogta’s previous efforts to address unresolved issues at Nquthu whose leadership and management have failed to ensure political and administrative stability for a long time which is now adversely affecting the operations of the municipality,”.
He said the ‘main reason behind the intervention is the failure of governance on the part of the Nquthu council, including several irregular appointments of senior officials with financial consequences for the municipality and the failure to adequately ensure that the control environment is improved in order to prevent maladministration.”
“Our disagreements with this council date back to 2017 when Nquthu irregularly appointed its Municipal Manager, Chief Financial Officer and Director: Planning and Development. These appointments were challenged in court where the municipality lost. Not only were these appointments irregular, they also resulted in irregular expenditure,” said MEC Hlomuka.
“Similarly, the Nquthu council has in other instances failed to take reasonable steps to prevent unauthorised and irregular expenditure. It has also failed to investigate such expenditure and hold management or any person accountable for causing such expenditure. Despite Cogta’s efforts, the municipality has been intransigent and uncooperative.
“In practice, this measure means ministerial representatives who will prepare and implement a recovery plan aimed at resolving the many challenges facing this municipality and laying the foundations for a fresh start once this intervention is called off,” he concluded.
IFP slams the MEC’s intervention
The IFP has slammed the decision with the party’s chief whip in the Legislature, Blessed Gwala, saying that ‘they have tried every weapon in their disposal to bring commotion at the IFP led Nquthu Municipality’. “What is even more unfortunate is that MEC Hlomuka uses tax payers money for unnecessary legal costs to take IFP to court to advance their cause.
“This is evident by their action to take the Nquthu municipality to court over the municipal manager issue, where they were not successful. We are aware that IFP ‘s victory in last month ward 11 by-election was a huge blow for ANC leadership as they consorted and exorbitantly aimed to fund projects to diffuse IFP solid support in Nquthu. Unfortunately none of the operations materialised.
“The MEC, together with the ANC in the province are constantly involved in petty and manipulative tactics to advance their political agenda. We know that the MEC will be going to Nquthu today carrying the mandate to destabilise that municipality as per the discussions in the ANC corridors.
“One wonders what is the brouhaha about Nquthu Municipality while there are ANC led municipalities who urgently require intervention from COGTA yet the MEC is turning a blind eye on them. “We would like to warn the MEC to stop misusing tax payers money for mere politicking. His desperate actions are compromising his office. He must understand that voters have realised that their votes are worth more than food parcels.
“The ANC should go back to the drawing board and create authentic strategies that will convince Nquthu voters not through these dirty tricks. It is advisable for the MEC to maintain the integrity of his office and operate under highest professional standards and refrain from being used as a tool to destabilise hard earned peace and harmony in the province. His comments on the latest internal problems in Nquthu are unfortunate and bias.”
HAVE YOUR SAY: Like our Facebook page, follow us on Twitter and Instagram or email us at dundee.courier@caxton.co.za. Add us on WhatsApp 071 277 1394.
