DURBAN - Alfred Duma Local Municipality mayor Mbuzeleni Mkhize is in hot water after his mayoral car was involved in an accident outside the municipality’s boundaries when he was allegedly not performing any mayoral duties, but “partying with his female friends”.
Mkhize is an IFP mayor and Alfred Duma is in Ladysmith.
ANC regional leader Bheki Khanyile called for an investigation, and labelled the mayor's alleged actions as “barbaric and selfish”.
He said it was shocking that so soon after being sworn in as the mayor, Mkhize had damaged his municipal vehicle.
The mayor is expected to be grilled by opposition parties during a council meeting on Thursday – about a trip to Nquthu, where the accident was said to have occurred.
“It is alleged that the mayor was outside the boundary of the municipality and he was not performing any mayoral duties but partying with his female friends at the time of this unfortunate and ‘reckless misbehaviour’.
“It is also alleged that the mayor was cruising around Nquthu for his own personal activities. As the ANC, we are perplexed by the deafening silence of the municipality and the media in general on this issue,” Khanyile said in a statement.
The statement further read: “It is worrying that the municipality has to date not issued any formal statement pertaining to this matter. Media platforms have not said anything about this awful deed.
“Their allies the DA, EFF and other parties are quiet about this.
“It's worrying because the DA has always raised the issue of good governance; however, on this matter, that we believe is of public interest, they are as quiet as a mouse, and by the look of things, they are not prepared to say anything. That's hypocrisy of the highest order.”
The ANC said it was demanding answers on this matter because it had been brought to its attention that the mayor was using a hired car that was paid for by the municipality, adding if that if this was true, it would be putting more strain on the public purse in a municipality that was already having financial difficulties.
Responding, the EFF in the province said this was the first it had heard of the incident, and promised to investigate, saying that those found to be responsible should be held to account.
The DA leader in uThukela District, Alf Lees said he was also not aware of the incident, and called for those responsible to be held accountable.
The National People’s Assembly councillor, Nkosinathi Mthethwa said they believed the accident happened in December around Christmas.
Mthethwa said councillors would raise the matter at their first sitting on Thursday.
According to Mthethwa, the rules stipulate that a mayor needs authorisation ahead of any trip outside the municipal boundaries when using a municipal vehicle.
Municipal manager Sibusiswe Ngiba confirmed the accident, but said the mayor was not in the car.
When asked about the trip, Ngiba said she was not the one who authorised the mayor’s trip.
She referred the Daily News to municipality spokesperson Siyabonga Maphalala who confirmed that the car was involved in an accident but it was the mayor’s driver who went to fetch mayor Sibisi and collided with a delivery truck.
Maphalala said he did not know what the mayor was doing in Nquthu.
Attempts to get comment from the mayor were unsuccessful.
Daily News