Latest news with #KwaDukuza
The Citizen
04-05-2025
- Politics
- The Citizen
#TwoBits: Mayoral absence does not make the heart grow fonder
Dolphin Coast residents are fed up. Over season and the New Year they suffered 83 days of power cuts in addition to the normal mode of numerous blacked out streetlights, traffic lights not working, potholed streets and, and, and. Mayor Muzi Ngidi called an imbizo to explain his council's budget. So the residents showed up – more than 600 people, the largest turnout ever in local history. The Umhlali school hall overflowed, they stood in the rain to hear explanations for KwaDukuza's poor performance. But the mayor was not there. He wasn't well, officials said. Strangely enough, he had been in full health throughout the day at council, according to numerous witnesses. Then he developed this mysterious illness. Shem. The deputy mayor and officials then proceeded to conduct a constructive meeting, but many residents said the mayor's no-show was disrespectful. It was brought to the attention of the meeting that council is refusing to meet with the Dolphin Coast civic body, Doccra. That is a great pity. The residents' association has worked long and hard to form a constructive relationship with council. On what grounds the relationship has foundered is unclear, though it is suspected that internal ANC politics is at the root. The simple truth is that Docrra represents 30 000 households, which contribute more than a couple of billion Rands to council coffers. Is it asking too much to be civil to your biggest customer? KwaDukuza's erratic leadership is already under close scrutiny from the electricity regulator, Nersa, and the local government ministry, Cogta. Not helped by the – oops! – theft of R35.7 million from council earlier this year. The ANC in iLembe district is on very shaky ground. In round figures, uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) party took 45 percent of the vote last year, from zero, compared to the ANC's 17 percent, down from 54 percent. That is a massive kick in the pants. The region's general population have already given the ANC the thumbs down for arrogance and poor service delivery. Expect more of the same in the 2026 local government elections if they don't smarten up. To change the subject slightly and give some light relief, wasn't it mind-boggling to listen to all the political parties squabbling over who was responsible for stopping the VAT increase! Looters running out of shopping malls with TVs on their heads do so with more dignity. The cherry on the cake was Mr Fixf*k*l Mbalula saying that the ANC had been against it! I suppose if you lie enough, someone will believe you. In my view, the DA and the EFF were solely responsible for stopping it. Never thought I'd agree with anything Julius did. But he did save his reputation right after that by proposing that Treasury get extra cash with an 'apartheid wealth tax'. Yeah right, Ju-Ju! * * * Where do bad rainbows go? To prism. It's a light sentence, but it gives them time to reflect. Stay in the loop with The North Coast Courier on Facebook, X, Instagram & YouTube for the latest news. Mobile users can join our WhatsApp Broadcast Service here or if you're on desktop, scan the QR code below. At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
The Citizen
02-05-2025
- Business
- The Citizen
KwaDukuza councillors demand progress on consequence management policy
KwaDukuza's audit report reveals deep cracks in governance, sparking cross-party outrage and renewed calls for immediate action against underperforming staff. Delivered by internal audit committee chairperson Nosipho Mchunu last week, the report prompted a heated debate on council's ability to implement consequence management against underperforming staff. Mchunu flagged a series of familiar issues facing the KwaDukuza municipality (KDM), including fraud risk, electricity losses, non-submission of materials for auditors and poor service delivery. 'We are susceptible to fraudulent activities and the risk of no business continuity plan has been evidenced in our municipality,' she said, referencing the R35.7-million embezzlement of municipal funds in January and the temporary impact it had on municipal payment systems. 'We think there should be an impartial check of our IT systems.' According to her report, an internal IT assessment was done last year, but only 57 percent of the mitigation strategies it recommended were completed. Elsewhere in the report, the underspending of the capital budget and grants were cited as major issues affecting service delivery. In the same council meeting, it was revealed that underspending of the municipal infrastructure grant in the first three quarters of 2023/24 led to KDM losing R8.92-million of its initial R60.5-milllion allocation – directly impacting three planned projects. In the wake of poor performance in several audit categories, ANC Ward 17 councillor Tarzan Naicker called for action to be taken to confirm the municipality's consequence management policy. 'We hear all about these action plans, but as a council we see neither action nor plans come to pass,' he said. 'Most of consequence management is already legislated; why do we need another policy that will delay everything?' ActionSA caucus leader Nel Sewraj, councillor Halalalisani Ndlovu and ANC Ward 16 councillor Sanele Mthiyane echoed the sentiment. They raised the issue during the previous full sitting of council and pushed for KDM to research and adapt consequence management policies from other similarly-sized municipalities that had legal frameworks in place. 'It is my opinion that there is a deliberate attempt to circumvent the creation of the consequence management policy,' said Sewraj. 'This was birthed by council trying to implement consequence management on senior managers and the policy is now being written by those same managers.' Stay in the loop with The North Coast Courier on Facebook, X, Instagram & YouTube for the latest news. Mobile users can join our WhatsApp Broadcast Service here or if you're on desktop, scan the QR code below. At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
