DA to probe KZN CoGTA’s commitment to consequence management

2 June 2021

The Democratic Alliance (DA) in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) is preparing to file Public Access to Information Applications (PAIA) in order to gain access to all Section 106(b) reports produced in the province since 2016.

The applications come after a recent parliamentary reply by KZN CoGTA MEC, Sipho Hlomuka, (view here) to questions by the DA, which indicate that 16 municipalities have been issued with Section106(b) reports during the past five years.

Section 106 of the Municipal Systems gives the MEC the power to designate a person to investigate and report back where there is reason to believe that a municipality in the province cannot or does not fulfil its statutory obligation and includes maladministration, fraud, corruption or any other serious malpractice that has occurred or is occurring.

The DA’s applications come in response to the ANC government’s continued “hot air” when it comes to ensuring consequence management. Of particular concern is that the reports being presented to municipalities by KZN’s CoGTA Department are largely being ignored or remedial action is not being implemented.

This would not be out-of-the ordinary. The culture of consequence management in KZN is almost non-existent - in fact it starts with the ANC’s ongoing support for disgraced members such as Jacob Zuma and Zandile Gumede.

KZN’s municipalities are severely distressed with many on the brink of collapse. At the centre of this collapse is the inability to take action against corruption and maladministration at the coalface of service delivery.

Ratings Afrika recently announced that the top five municipalities in South Africa are run by the DA and that the only financially sustainable metro in the country is the City of Cape Town. This is testimony to the good governance practices that only the DA believes in and implements. Where we govern, we get things done.

The DA is known for its no-nonsense approach to corruption and mismanagement with the party taking action, even against politicians and will file applications for access to all 16 Section 106(b) reports.

The Section 106(b) reports are of significant public interest. As the DA we also believe that we have a right to know what the outcomes of investigations are, particularly so that we can follow up on the implementation of their recommendations and findings.

Issued by Chris Pappas, DA KZN Spokesperson on CoGTA, 2 June 2021