By Alicia Mmashakana
Decisive measures to address the governance and service delivery challenges in the uMdoni local municipality have been announced by KwaZulu-Natal cooperative governance and traditional affairs MEC Thulasizwe Buthelezi.
The MEC met council members on Monday to communicate the provincial executive’s decision to intervene in the municipality under Section 154(1) of the Constitution.
This follows extensive engagements with the municipality and community members aimed at restoring stability.
Section 154(1) mandates national and provincial governments, through legislative and other measures, to support and strengthen the capacity of municipalities to manage their own affairs and to exercise their powers and functions.
Buthelezi also announced that local government specialist, Dhanpalan Devaraj Naidoo, would be appointed to guide the municipality through its current challenges.
“Naidoo is a seasoned local government specialist whose wealth of experience is unquestionable. We believe his expertise will be crucial in stabilising the municipality,” he said in a statement on Tuesday.
“uMdoni is a key tourism hub that should exemplify good governance, sound financial management and efficient service delivery. This is what ratepayers want to see.”
The MEC said Naidoo would support the council without undermining its powers and responsibilities.
Meanwhile, Buthelezi has commended the suspension of five officials, including the municipality’s CFO and supply chain management director, following financial misconduct allegations in the run-up to the general elections.
He said they were placed on suspension on Friday, pending the outcome of the investigation.
The suspensions sent a strong message that the department was dealing decisively with restoring good governance and consequence management, Buthelezi said.
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