DURBAN - KwaZulu-Natal Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) MEC Sipho Hlomuka has finally intervened in the problems that have been facing the Ndwedwe Municipality.
The MEC’s visit to the council on Monday (today) comes amid calls by the opposition to place the municipality under administration, as he did with Nquthu last week.
The municipality has been in the news for a couple of months after workers embarked on a strike demanding allowances and office space.
EFF leader Sabelo Hlophe said as the opposition they felt the time has come for MEC to place the municipality under administration after a string of administrative problems in the council.
Hlophe said the council has not been able to function properly because of the administrative issues. He said there were close to 20 employees who have been suspended for four months without being given charges.
Hlophe further said they have been asking for a report on why the municipal manager had four bodyguards sitting in the council chamber without the knowledge of the council.
“There are many items which were removed from the agenda which the opposition want to be brought back. Part of that is the issue of suspended employees which we want the municipal manager to explain,” added Hlophe.
He said another issue the opposition wanted clarified was the sour relationship between the municipal manager and director of corporate services.
Hlophe said the manager and the director were not seeing eye to eye.
Cogta spokesperson Nonala Ndlovu said she did not have details on what was to be tackled by the MEC when he arrived at the municipality.
She said Hlomuka would be briefed by the municipality and thereafter see how he was going to intervene in the problems that may be troubling the municipality.
She, however, dismissed rumours that the MEC might place the municipality under administration because there was no decision in the legislature yet on the matter.
A source who is an employee of the municipality said it was now a strong candidate for administration after a string of problems including the failure to pass the budget in two meetings that collapsed last week.
The source said the budget was to be taken to Cogta for approval but that did not happen.
Municipal manager Musa Hadebe said he was not able to speak to media as he was busy but the mayor, Vincent Chili, told the Daily News the MEC felt he must come to asses the situation himself.
This after he ( the mayor) wrote Hlomuka a letter asking for an extension to allow the council meeting to sit and pass the budget after it failed in two meetings last week.
The council meeting is scheduled for Tuesday.
Daily News