DA KZN: MEC must fire entire Ingwe Council

18 May 2017

THE DA calls on KZN COGTA MEC, Nomusa Dube-Ncube to fire the entire Ingwe Local Municipality Council. This after the municipality was placed under provincial administration on 4 May in terms of Section 139 (4) of the South African Constitution.

According to a letter from the MEC to KZN Speaker, Lydia Johnson, the decision was taken after “political instability for more than a year”. Matters came to a head in March after both the Speaker and the Mayor resigned, with the latter also resigning from the Executive Council.

Numerous attempts since then, to reconvene Council and elect new representatives to these positions, have been met with disdain by most ANC councillors who boycotted the meetings in solidarity with the former colleagues.

Their actions have been described by the MEC as a ‘deliberate and calculated’ attempt to render the municipality ungovernable.  

A last ditch attempt to convene Council on 28 April also failed with just nine out of the ANC’s 16 councillors arriving.

With just three months to go before the Local Government Elections, it is far too late to turn this Council around.  

It also makes no sense to persist with trying to reform a Council that is wracked by internal fighting, poor leadership and when the vast majority of councillors have their own agenda’s.

The salaries they would be paid during the next two months could be far better spent on infrastructure and other much needed resources within this municipal area.

A further concern is the reason for the resignation of both the Speaker and the Mayor - not once have the reasons been conveyed to the province’s COGTA portfolio committee. The DA looks forward to a response from the MEC in this regard.

The local government election cannot come soon enough for the people of Ingwe.  They have had to put up with non-existent service delivery for months and have been severely let down by the very people who are supposed to represent their interests.

The people of Ingwe will have the opportunity for change in August.

There the DA governs it is proving that real change is possible. Where the DA governs, it works to bring change that will move South Africa forward.  This change includes stopping corruption, creating jobs and delivering better services for all.

Issued by George Mari, DA KZN Spokesperson on COGTA, 18 May 2016