The Democratic Alliance (DA) has taken the KwaZulu-Natal government to court, demanding that it dissolve the Ndumeni municipality, which has failed to pass its budget for the current financial year. The DA has filed papers at the Pietermaritzburg High Court, seeking an order to compel the provincial government to dissolve the municipality. The Ndumeni municipality, led by the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP), failed to pass its budget before the July deadline, resulting in a deadlock.
The municipality's failure to pass a budget has severe consequences, including a R600 million debt to Eskom, which poses a significant risk of electricity supply disruptions. The DA claims that the municipality's inability to pay its debts has brought essential services to a standstill, leaving residents suffering. The party has accused the provincial government of dragging its feet on the matter, with DA KwaZulu-Natal leader Dean Macpherson saying that Premier Thami Ntuli and Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs MEC Thulasizwe Buthelezi are not taking decisive action.
Macpherson has expressed concern that Ntuli and Buthelezi are not taking action due to their political affiliation with the IFP. He claims that the MEC has threatened DA councillors with legal action, saying that all the DA wanted was for the municipality to come up with a credible budget. The DA has given the provincial government an ultimatum, urging it to dissolve the municipality before the court hearing on November 23.
In court papers, DA councillor Mohamed Abdool states that the municipality is in disarray, with services grinding to a halt due to the lack of a budget. Abdool claims that the municipality owes Eskom R600 million and has no plan to pay the debt, putting it at risk of having its electricity supply cut off. He also alleges that the municipality has failed to pay security companies, including those responsible for guarding municipal offices.
The IFP has dismissed the DA's court application as frivolous, with IFP deputy chair Xolani Msezane saying that the application is moot since a new council will be elected soon. Msezane accuses the DA of trying to politicize the issue and undermine the upcoming local government elections. He believes that the court will dismiss the application.
The KwaZulu-Natal provincial government has not commented on the matter, with spokespersons for the premier and the MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs declining to respond to questions. The DA's court application has sparked a heated debate about the state of local government in KwaZulu-Natal and the role of the provincial government in addressing the crisis.
The outcome of the court application remains uncertain, but one thing is clear: the people of Ndumeni are bearing the brunt of the municipality's failure to function. With essential services disrupted and debts mounting, the DA's demand for the dissolution of the municipality has brought attention to a crisis that requires urgent attention from all parties involved.
Key points
- The DA has taken the KwaZulu-Natal government to court over its failure to dissolve the Ndumeni municipality, which has failed to pass its budget for the current financial year.
- The municipality's failure to pass a budget has severe consequences, including a R600 million debt to Eskom and disruptions to essential services.
- The IFP has dismissed the DA's court application as frivolous, accusing the party of trying to politicize the issue and undermine the upcoming local government elections.
