THE administrator of Mtubatuba Municipality, Bamba Ndwandwe, appointed by the provincial government three years ago to bring order to the municipality’s affairs, on Thursday declared that the municipality’s ‘functionality is zero’.
Ndwandwe said the intervention has not achieved much because of ineffectiveness at both management and political levels.
Ndwandwe is contracted to Mtubatuba Municipality until September, after which it is up to the province to re-appoint him or appoint another administrator. Either way, intervention is likely to be extended.
The Administrator’s comments follow the chaos that ruled in Mtubatuba in June during a month-long strike of municipal workers and the unofficial swearing-in of a ‘new’ mayor.
These events forced COGTA to intervene. MEC Nomusa Dube-Ncube secured a High Court order late month which restored the political status quo.
Respondents were given until last Thursday to oppose the order, a move that would have seen them pay all court costs.
Intention
A council meeting was held last Tuesday to discuss the matter. While councillors announced their intention for the municipality, as one of the six court order respondents, to oppose the order, this could not go ahead because such an action had to be ratified by Ndwandwe as the Administrator.
This he refused to do, citing the move as ‘fruitless expenditure which would see the municipality gain nothing’.
At the same meeting, it was revealed that municipal management failed to undertake all necessary legal steps to produce a complete and valid valuation roll for the 2014-15 financial year.
As last year’s roll expired at the end of June and new rates only be implemented in July, the municipality is left without the extra income from increased rates for this financial year. This will only deepen the municipality’s financial woes.
According to Ndwandwe, management should have requested the provincial Cabinet take over the valuation roll which would have resulted in the retention of last year’s roll.
The municipality would receive a guaranteed income from rates and ratepayers would pay last year’s rates.
Instead, said Ndwandwe, if Cabinet is forced to take over the valuation roll on its own terms, severe measures would be taken against councillors, including the possible dismissal of all senior councillors.
Disagreements at the council meeting led to about 15 IFP councillors walking out, resulting in a loss of a quorum.
