IFP says Local Government MEC upholds double standards

January 19, 2007

The IFP questions the obvious double standards as practiced by Local Government and Traditional Affairs MEC Mike Mabuyakhulu in his dealings with KwaZulu-Natal municipalities.

"The MEC upholds double standards. He is only too quick to intervene in IFP-run municipalities on any pretext. ANC-controlled councils, on the other hand, are clearly exempt from the ministerial interventions no matter how guilty of mismanagement or corruption," said IFP National Chairperson Zanele Magwaza.

The prime examples of the MEC's split personality in his dealings with KwaZulu-Natal councils are Abaqulusi and Umgungundlovu District. "Whereas the MEC intervened in Abaqulusi with haste and without justification, he is obviously reluctant to step into the chaos perpetrated by the ANC leadership at Umgungundlovu," said Magwaza.

The IFP believes that these two instances show that the MEC's interventions are politically motivated. "Unlike Abaqulusi last year, Umgungundlovu District council is ripe for a ministerial intervention now," said Magwaza.

The forensic investigation into R1.3-million funding to the National African Federated Chamber of Commerce and Industry (NAFCOC) KZN last December vindicated the IFP's suspicions that uMgungundlovu District Municipality has compromised service delivery to allow fraud, theft and conflict of interest to occur.

The funding, approved on the basis of NAFCOC's local strategy, was paid on the instruction of Lucky Moloi, who purported to represent NAFCOC KZN to this structure. None of the money has been received by NAFCOC's local uMgungundlovu branch or refunded to the municipality.

"These are legitimate grounds for a ministerial intervention. The IFP calls upon the MEC to abandon his double standards and clean up the mess at Umgungundlovu," said Magwaza.

Contact: Zanele Magwaza, 082 804 7993