Pietermaritzburg - The Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) says it's “a shame” that the capital city of KZN, Pietermaritzburg, is under administration and says that is an indictment on the ruling African National Congress (ANC).
Msunduzi municipality, which encompasses Pietermaritzburg, was placed under administration last week amid allegations of massive looting of its funds, mismanagement and interference by the leadership of the ANC in the Moses Mabhida region (KZN Midlands).
Speaking while in the city on Wednesday, where the party's faithful had gathered to launch their provincial manifesto, IFP’s chairperson of campaigns committee and Member of Parliament, Narend Singh, said in addition to being a city that has failed administratively, it has also become one big dump site, referring to the city's dirty central business district where piles of litter lies uncollected and violent vagrants are robbing and stabbing people on a daily basis.
"It is a shame, it is a disgrace that the capital should be under administration. Can you imagine if Tshwane, Pretoria, under administration when it is the seat of the national government," Singh said.
Singh then used the plight of the city to urge voters to vote for the party during the country's 2021 local government elections, saying they can help to restore the city to its former glory.
The city has a reported bad debt of R3 billion and it is being placed under administration for the third time since the advent of local government elections in 1996.
He further alleged that KZN CoGTA MEC was very late in placing the municipality under administration when compared with other municipalities run by other political parties, including the IFP.
“The MEC is very quick to put any of our municipalities under administration, very quick, with the slightest of reason she would sign under administration but her in Pietermaritzburg it took months and months until the die is cast,” Singh alleged.
Even more emphatic about the mess at Msunduzi, was party leader Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi who said the heart wrecking thing with the plight of Msunduzi is that there is no accountability.