Durban -
The Mtubatuba municipality in Zululand has been placed under administration, with all powers and responsibilities allocated to the mayor to be taken up by the provincial executive council through Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs MEC Nomusa Dube.
Dube told the provincial executive on Thursday that there was a need to place the troubled municipality – headed by an ANC-NFP coalition – under administration.
The mayor is a member of the ANC and the deputy is from the NFP.
The drastic decision follows failed attempts, including interventions involving the provision of support, to prevent the administrative collapse of the municipality.
A statement said the state of governance in Mtubatuba had deteriorated to the extent that operations had almost ground to a halt, compromising the delivery of services.
Dube said her department had made efforts to provide support and appoint a financial administrator, but this had not had positive results because certain councillors continued to conduct themselves in ways contrary to the code of conduct.
Also, certain councillors flouted cost-cutting measures by attending seminars in other provinces, incurring unnecessary expense.
The Mercury