Durban - The Utrecht-based eMadlangeni Local Municipality is heading for more political and administrative turmoil after its political leadership called a special council sitting to pass its 2022/23 budget, and there is already opposition to it.
On Tuesday, the municipality’s political leadership led by mayor Mzwakhe Buthelezi called a special full council sitting for Thursday to pass the budget, which should be in place by July 1.
However, that was met with resistance as the opposition in the IFP-run municipality alleged that the budget, as required by municipal laws, should first pass the executive committee (exco) before being approved by the full council.
Also, the budget should be passed a month before a new financial year kicks in. If that is not the case, a condonation should be sought from the MEC for Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Sipho Hlomuka.
“The budget has not been passed. It should have been passed before May 31. Their special meeting is misdirected because they have not sought condonation from the MEC for a 14-day extension. And it needs to go to exco first before it goes to council for approval. That’s the law,” said an insider within the municipality.
Vusi Ndlovu, a councillor of the ANC in the municipality, confirmed that the special council sitting was called, and they outlined their objections to it.
“Yes, we received an invitation for a special council sitting scheduled for 3pm on Thursday and it will be virtual. This is the same budget we rejected last year. This time around they are breaking the law by calling a special council sitting to pass it. The budget should first be tabled before the exco which then recommends its approval for the full council. That was not done,” said Ndlovu.
Another bone of contention was that the budget was unfunded (unrealistic) and that the meeting should have been called 14 days earlier.
All this wrangling comes at a time when whistle-blowers have been alerting the Daily News to the dire state of affairs in the municipality. It has been claimed that staff morale is low and victimisation of staff is rife.
According to whistle-blowers, the municipality could soon face financial challenges. It was not clear whether the IFP inherited the financial mess from the ANC or it was a challenge that started under its watch.
Ndlovu also confirmed that he was aware that the chief financial officer (CFO) of the municipality, Welcome Mpanza, recently warned the political leadership that they may soon run out of funds to even pay staff.
“I am aware that the CFO recently said if the financial situation does not improve soon, workers may not get paid on time,” Ndlovu said.
Moreover, it has been claimed that the former deputy mayor under the tenure of the ANC which ended in November last year, Ntsikelelo Ndlovu, is running the show.
Ndlovu, who was fired by the ANC after his relationship with it broke down, is now a manager in the office of the mayor. He emerged in the office after he unsuccessfully tried to contest for ward 2 as an independent candidate and failed when the ward fell to the DA.
Last week, Ndlovu was sent a list of questions regarding the litany of allegations that have been levelled against him. He read them and did not respond. He also ignored calls.
The spokesperson for the municipality, Ayanda Mabaso, said they would respond after the special council sitting.
“We will respond to the media enquiry … after the special council meeting,” Mabaso said.
The chairperson of the IFP in KwaZulu-Natal, Thami Ntuli, said they have not received any formal complaints from their members in the Utrecht area regarding the mumblings over Ndlovu’s role and allegations that he has captured the mayor and the entire municipality.
“Nothing has been officially communicated to us by our members regarding this matter, nothing,” Ntuli said.
As the state of the municipality continues to worsen, there is talk that the ANC in the region is courting its provincial coalition partner, the National Freedom Party to oust Buthelezi.
Daily News