MEDIA STATEMENT
TO ALL JOURNALISTS AND REPORTERS
24 FEBRUARY 2023
The IFP in KZN has been vindicated by today’s ruling of the Pietermaritzburg High Court, which set aside Tuesday’s election of Councillor Clifford M Ndabandaba as the Mayor of Nongoma Local Municipality, as well as others, into various positions.
The Court ruling vindicates the IFP, as we maintained that the MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA), Ms Bongi Sithole-Moloi, abused her authority, to give her party the ANC, an advantage.
From the outset, the reasons for not convening the special Council Meeting requested by opposition parties – which included the ANC and NFP – were stated by our Mayor, Councillor Albert Mncwango and Speaker Prince Bheki Zulu.
The Mayor indicated that the opposition’s motion was flawed and defective in terms of the Standing Rules. Instead of accepting this, the grouping rushed to MEC Sithole-Moloi to seek her ill-advised intervention. She then hurriedly – and prematurely – sent Mr MP Khathide to convene a special Council Meeting without following lawful procedures.
Today the Court concurred with the IFP when it ruled that the MEC overstepped, and set aside her intervention. This left her with egg on her face, and confirmed that no matter how powerful some leaders may think they are, the law of the land will always prevail.
It is sad to observe that within days of her appointment as COGTA MEC, Sithole-Moloi has gone on a crusade, seemingly cherry-picking Councils that she deems important, for her urgent, ill-advised and aggressive interventions.
Over the past few days, it has become abundantly clear that the MEC has set her sights on IFP-controlled municipalities to render them dysfunctional, so that she can eventually hand them over to her ANC comrades who failed to win the hearts and minds of the voters in 2021.
We have noted how, in recent weeks, the MEC has used every trick in the book to intervene at IFP municipalities, circumventing standing Council procedures to force Council Sittings. This seems to indicate a political agenda, with the intention of taking over IFP-run municipalities and handing them to the new political cabal comprising of the ANC, EFF and NFP.
In the case of Nongoma Municipality, Sithole-Moloi forced her way into Council matters, ignoring the basic principles of intergovernmental relations and the separation of powers.
Our advice to MEC Sithole-Moloi is to adopt the same energy and vigour in addressing challenges at ANC-run municipalities, such as Richmond. This Municipality remains leaderless, after the incumbent became the ANC’s Moses Mabhida Region Secretary. The MEC’s time would also be well spent focussing on the capital, Msunduzi Municipality, which is a source of shame with its overgrown vegetation and collapsing infrastructure.
The eThekwini Metro, which is now dirty, dangerous, and disintegrating – all thanks to wholesale looting by her comrades – also requires serious attention.
We were willing to forgive and forget the MEC’s rather colourful stint as Mayor of uMgungundlovu, where the provincial government had to intervene owing to her misdemeanours, and those of other comrades. However, what we will not allow, is for her unethical and chaotic stunts to negatively impact IFP municipalities.
Ends.
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Contact
Cllr Thami Ntuli
IFP KZN Provincial Chairperson
072 585 5000