ANC KZN slams IFP's flagrant abuse of Ulundi Municipal funds for media coverage of their political rally
18 October 2017
The African National Congress (ANC) in KwaZulu-Natal condemns the IFP for embarking on its old era Bantusan’s desperate tactics of flagrant abuse of municipal resources.
This after the current edition of Ilanga newspaper, carried an advertorial page clearly indicated that its paid for by Ulundi Local Municipality but baffling to all is the content featuring an IFP political rally with the party’s leader Dr. Mangosuthu Buthelezi as the main speaker.
As the ANC we condemn this flagrant abuse of public funds for political campaigning by the IFP. It is very clear that municipal coffers are being looted to promote the IFP’s self-congratulatory rhetoric a year after the local government elections. This is a clear demonstration that the IFP has no interest in fighting poverty and underdevelopment in Ulundi and the Zululand District. After a year in office the IFP can only account for self-congratulatory rallies as opposes to water, electricity, infrastructure and sanitation.
The abuse of tax payer’s money for political expediency by the IFP is a foretaste of the bleak future and condemnation to poverty that residents in IFP controlled municipality will be subjected to in the coming years. Even more startling is Inkosi Buthelezi participation in these activities which imply that he is complicit to this blatant and corrupt act and is in fact condoning it and benefiting from it.
The IFP’s history of preaching integrity and accountability for public funds but practising the exact opposite now again repeats itself as Ulundi municipality writes a cheque for the political party that controls it. Earlier this year the ANC intercepted an incriminating letter dated 23 January, addressed to Nongoma Municipality Mayor and the IFP caucus detailing how the IFP planned to abuse Nongoma municipal funds for a by-election in Uphongola Municipality’s ward 7. This matter was reported to the public protector.
In 2016 the ANC had reported the KwaHlabisa Municipality for converting municipal events into IFP rallies with IFP branding and speeches promoting the IFP. The ANC in KZN has once again referred the matter to the Public Protector as well as the Auditor-General and the party is also calling on the provincial Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) to investigate this flagrant abuse of municipal funds.
While our municipalities carefully balance their limited budgets to cover their ambitious service delivery projects, IFP municipalities seem to have unlimited resources for self-promotion of their political party with absolute impunity. This is a criminal act by the IFP and a spit in the face of community of Zululand District and Ulundi.
Our hope is that all those who authorised this particular expenditure at Ulundi municipality should be held liable. We also hope that the people of Ulundi will remember this incident when they cast their vote in the next Municipal Elections.
Issued by Mdumiseni Ntuli, Provincial Spokesperson, ANC KZN, 18 October 2017
