By Akani Nkuna
The uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party marched through Durban on Wednesday in protest against what it described as persistent service delivery failures, deteriorating infrastructure and proposed tariff increases by the eThekwini Municipality.
Addressing supporters during the march, MK Party Secretary-General Sibonelo Nomvalo said residents were frustrated by poor governance and allegations of corruption within the municipality.
“We are marching on behalf of our people. The demands we are raising come directly from communities across eThekwini,” he said.
“Corruption is deep-seated in the municipality and we are in possession of evidence. We are not being creative. We are talking about issues for which we can produce evidence.”
His remarks come after Parliament’s Standing Committee on Public Accounts (SCOPA) held a hearing with the municipality on 13 May following findings by the Auditor-General (AG) that flagged major procurement irregularities, including R311.76 million in irregular expenditure.
The AG also reported that non-revenue water losses rose to R2.92 billion in the 2024/25 financial year from R1.99 billion the previous year. The losses were attributed to ageing infrastructure, burst pipes, corruption, illegal water connections and weak monitoring systems.
Nomvalo alleged that political parties, particularly the African National Congress (ANC), had captured municipal entities and were using programmes such as the Extended Public Works Programme (EPWP) to secure political support.
“EPWP has been reduced to being an entity of the ANC, used to hire ANC volunteers and to coerce members of the public into voting for and joining the ANC,” he said.
Speaking during the handover of a memorandum outside municipal offices, Nomvalo said the MK Party would take a firm stance against criminality that undermines service delivery.
He also pledged the party’s support for KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner Lt-Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, saying the commissioner had earned the hostility of criminal networks through his uncompromising approach to crime.
“We want to send a message to government that if you dare touch Mkhwanazi, you will provoke the MK Party. We will shut down the streets of this country if you arrest Mkhwanazi. We will never allow people who expose corruption to be victimised,” Nomvalo said.
Meanwhile, civic movement March and March leader Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma urged supporters to remain disciplined during a planned anti-illegal immigration shutdown protest on 30 June.
She called on demonstrators to avoid looting, violence and intimidation.
“I am saying to you all that on the 30th of June, we do not steal and we do not loot. What we do on that day is ask them cordially to leave South Africa,” Ngobese-Zuma said.
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