Durban - The IFP-led Nquthu Local Municipality is going to court to challenge the decision of the provincial government to place it under administration.
The decision was taken through a council resolution during a council meeting yesterday. The council yesterday voted to challenge the decision because it felt that the provincial government had not followed all the necessary processes before putting the municipality under administration.
The ANC in the council said it was against challenging the government’s decision, saying the municipality was dysfunctional and deserved far worse than being placed under administration.
The provincial government announced last week that it was placing the Nquthu as well as the uMkhanyakude District Municipalities under administration following service delivery failures.
The municipality was dissolved in 2017 after it failed to constitute its council and elect office-bearers following the local government elections.
The speaker of the council, Mbongeni Mnguni, said they would seek clarity from the court whether all legal processes were followed before a decision was taken to put the municipality under administration.
“We have no choice but to challenge it. There are many things that we find suspicious. The reasons they have given do not make any sense or are contradictory.
“They said the municipality is not doing well and they highlight issues like our IDP (integrated development plans), yet earlier this year they lauded us saying we had done with our IDP. Also concerning is that since the decision was announced, we are yet to be formally informed that an administrator is coming. We only know about the decision from the newspapers.”
ANC exco member Lucky Moloi said: “That municipality is dysfunctional, placing it under administration is the least we could have done, it should have been dissolved. It does not operate according to the prescripts of the law, people are hired before the positions are advertised, they are put in positions they do not qualify for.
“There is a senior manager in a critical portfolio who is acting in that position, the person does not qualify to act there. The Cogta (Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs) MEC was here in September last year and warned that this person should not be acting there as they do not qualify, yet they are still there.”
Mnguni dismissed these allegations as sour grapes. Cogta spokesperson Senzo Mzila, said they were not aware of the resolution and therefore could not comment on it.
The Mercury