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IOL News
2 days ago
- General
- IOL News
Postponed funeral of councillor to go ahead after court ruling
THE former proportional representative councillor of Lindelani, KwaDukuza, Sebenzile Sibiya whose postponed funeral was the centre of a dispute between her in-laws and her maiden family following her death on May 16. Image: Supplied A FAMILY in KwaZulu-Natal North Coast is relieved that the Durban High Court ruled in its favour to grant them the right to bury their daughter-in-law after her maiden family held a bogus funeral service while her corpse was at a funeral parlour. Sebenzile Sibiya, née Mthembu, died on May 16 after she fell ill. She was a proportional representative councillor of Lindelani, KwaDukuza, in the North Coast. Her funeral was postponed after her maiden family, the Mthembus, wanted to bury her. Her in-laws approached a local induna, Pinky Ndunakazi, to intervene after negotiations between the two families reached a stalemate. Her interventions were scuppered after the Mthembus ignored her when she visited the family accompanied by izinduna from nearby villages. "We found the wife of the deceased's brother, who said her husband was the one who was supposed to speak on behalf of the family but was not around," said Ndunakazi. When Ndunakazi asked for her husband's number, she refused and said she would rather take her details and give it to her husband to call her back. "I left my number, but he didn't call. Then the Sibiya family ended up approaching the court," said Ndunakazi. At the centre of the dispute was where she would be buried. The Mthembus preferred Lindelani, in KwaDukuza, but the Sibiyas insisted on Gingindlovu, where the deceased's husband, who died in 2021, is buried. The couple also had a house in Gingindlovu but spent most of the time in Lindelani, where Sebenzile was a PR councillor. According to a Sibiya relative who spoke on condition of anonymity, they overlooked the dispute on May 17, a day after the PR councillor died, when they discovered the Mthembu family occupying the Lindelani property. The relative said things got a little heated when the Mthembu family said the funeral service will be held in Lindelani and the burial will be in Gingindlovu. "The brother of her late husband, who was handling the Sibiya estate, was irritated by that. He said the deceased was a married woman and the Mthembu family shouldn't be at the forefront of the funeral arrangements. He stood up and left after it was clear that they were not reaching any agreement with the Mthembus," said the relative. The relative said one of the Sibiya family members told the Mthembus that if they wanted her to be buried in Lindelani, they should have asked and not dictated to them. "They ended up saying they are putting in a request to the late husband's brother for her to be buried in Lindelani. The reply was that they will get feedback once the Sibiya family has sat down for a meeting to discuss their request." After the Sibiya meeting, it is alleged that the family agreed that her funeral service would take place in Lindelani and she would be buried in Gingindlovu, next to her husband. Gunmen burst in and said they were sent by the Mthembus to tell the Sibiyas that the funeral and burial would be in Lindelani. Then on May 22, the Sibiyas approached the Durban High Court to seek an interdict against the Mthembus and the funeral parlour, barring them from proceeding with the funeral. The funeral parlour was served with the interdict on the following day, as well as the Mthembus, who refused to sign the court order. The Mthembus continued with their sham funeral in the presence of the police, who ensured that the funeral parlour didn't release the corpse per court order. Last Thursday the Durban High Court ruled in favour of the Sibiyas. "We are just relieved that we will now proceed with funeral preparations and bury her in a dignified manner," said a Sibiya family member. The Sibiyas said they don't believe the Mthembus would attend the funeral service on Saturday, as they had already had theirs on May 24. Numerous attempts to get comment from the Mthembu family via texts and calls were unsuccessful, as the phone of the brother of the deceased rang unanswered. SUNDAY TRIBUNE
IOL News
29-05-2025
- Politics
- IOL News
Family feud postpones KwaDukuza councillor's funeral
Proportional representative councillor Sebenzile Sibiya, née Mthembu, died on May 16 after falling ill. Image: File THE KwaDukuza Magistrates Court will today hear arguments concerning a family dispute which led to the postponement of the funeral of a councillor on Saturday. Sebenzile Sibiya, née Mthembu, died on May 16 after falling ill. She was a proportional representative councillor of Lindelani, KwaDukuza, in the North Coast. The postponement was caused by a disagreement between the Mthembu family and the Sibiyas. It is alleged that even though she had a house in Lindelani, KwaDukuza, which she shared with her late husband, who died in 2021, she had another house in Gingindlovu. It was at her Gingindlovu home where she performed her family functions and rituals and where her husband is buried. According to a Sibiya relative who spoke on condition of anonymity, they overlooked the dispute on May 17, a day after the PR councillor died, when they discovered the Mthembu family occupying the Lindelani property. The relative said things got a little heated when the Mthembu family said the funeral service will be held in Lindelani and the burial will be in Gingindlovu. "The brother of her late husband, who was handling the Sibiya estate, was irritated by that. He said the deceased was a married woman and the Mthembu family shouldn't be at the forefront of the funeral arrangements. He stood up and left after it was clear that they were not reaching any agreement with the Mthembus," said the relative. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Next Stay Close ✕ The relative said one of the Sibiya family members told the Mthembus that if they wanted her to be buried in Lindelani, they should have asked and not dictated to them. "They ended up saying they are putting in a request to the late husband's brother for her to be buried in Lindelani. The reply was that they will get feedback once the Sibiya family has sat down for a meeting to discuss their request." After the Sibiya meeting, it is alleged that the family agreed that her funeral service would take place in Lindelani and she would be buried in Gingindlovu, next to her husband. "We thought we had a deal, but armed men came and said the Mthembus sent them to say the deceased will be buried in Lindelani because they can't afford to take her to Gingindlovu," said the relative. The Sibiya family then approached the Mthembus to get the deceased's documents to handle her funeral themselves, and the Mthembus refused, said the relative. "They refused. We ended up going to the induna, who tried to intervene but was unsuccessful," said the relative. Then, on Thursday last week, they approached the court to get an interdict which effectively blocked the Mthembus from proceeding with the funeral. The court order was served to the funeral parlour on Friday. When the court order was served on the Mthembus, they refused to sign it. The Mthembus proceeded with the funeral service on Saturday, which forced the Sibiya to seek police intervention so that they would investigate if the funeral parlour released Sebenzile's remains. They discovered that the funeral service was proceeding without the deceased's corpse. After the service, the mourners had lunch and dispersed when it was clear that there would be no burial. There was no dispute between the deceased and the Sibiya family except for the late husband's children from a previous relationship and the deceased over their late father's estate, according to the relative. The induna, Pinky Ndunakazi, confirmed that the matter was brought to her by the Sibiya family last week. "They explained that they have a problem with the Mthembu family, who have turned on them, refusing to allow the deceased to be buried in Gingindlovu," said Ndunakazi. Ndunakazi said she asked indunas from nearby villages to accompany her to hear the side of the Mthembu family. "We found the wife of the deceased's brother, who said her husband was the one who was supposed to speak on behalf of the family but was not around," said Ndunakazi.
The Citizen
20-05-2025
- Business
- The Citizen
Court backs Ithala, but customers say ‘Nothing has changed'
Ithala Bank users remain in limbo despite a recent High Court ruling in favour of Ithala SOC Limited. Customers say little has changed on the ground as they cannot access their funds or resume normal business operations. The Pietermaritzburg High Court ruling, handed down on May 9, interdicted the South African Reserve Bank's appointed repayment administrator, Johannes Kruger, from interfering in the operational management of Ithala. The ruling confirmed that the Ithala board retains full operational authority and that Ithala may carry out all legally permissible transactions, excluding deposit-taking. ABSA Bank was also interdicted from blocking transactions related to salaries and operational expenses. However, for many Ithala clients, the judgment has yet to translate into practical relief. Groutville farmer Zodwa Mthembu said she was devastated to find that she still could not access her accounts even days after the court ruling. 'I went to the Ithala branch in Stanger, and they told me they haven't received the go-ahead to process withdrawals,' said Mthembu. Mthembu, who operates several small businesses through her Ithala accounts, said the shutdown has dealt her a triple blow. 'Since the bank closed shop in January, I've had to survive on personal loans to keep things going. I, too, need rescuing,' she said. Hydroponic farmer and Vella Villa Project founder Mhlengi Ngcobo echoed her concerns, saying that while the legal victory is welcome, the financial damage done over the past few months has been severe. 'We're still in crisis mode. The road to recovery is going to be long and hard. Many of us are small-scale farmers who rely on every cent,' said Ngcobo. Mthembu and Ngcobo are among the 257 000 Ithala depositors left in limbo after the provincial state-owned bank ceased operations in January, after failing to meet banking regulations and financial stability requirements. At least five other farms across iLembe are also affected. Despite operating under special exemptions from the South African Reserve Bank, Ithala never obtained a banking licence and primarily served KwaZulu-Natal residents. A repayment administrator was appointed to manage withdrawals, but legal battles have caused delays, leaving depositors uncertain about how much they will recover and when. KwaZulu-Natal Finance MEC Francois Rodger reiterated his commitment to ensuring the institution is not only protected but restored to full functionality. 'Ithala serves a niche market of mainly rural residents. Attempts to systematically shut it down are short-sighted and demonstrate a total disregard for rural livelihoods,' he said. Rodgers said the Government of Provincial Unity (GPU) will continue engaging with legal counsel to enforce the ruling and support affected communities. 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!
IOL News
14-05-2025
- Business
- IOL News
Durban Labour Court denies reinstatement for ex-eThekwini electricity chief amid misconduct allegations
A former head of eThekwini Municipality's electricity unit's court application to be reinstated has been dismissed by the Durban Labour Court. Image: File The Durban Labour Court has dismissed an urgent application to reinstate the former eThekwini Municipality head of the electricity unit. Former municipal official, Maxwell Mthembu, allegedly threatened municipal workers scheduled to testify against him on allegations of Supply Chain Management (SCM) irregularities relating to contracts in the supply and delivery of electricity meters. Mthembu was dismissed by the city on March 19, 2025. He was employed as the head of the electricity unit in April 2018, and he was suspended on March 20, 2024, as he faced several misconduct charges. His first charge related to gross insubordination and gross dishonesty, followed by the SCM irregularities. Following the allegations, the city launched an investigation. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ In September last year, he approached the Local Government Bargaining Council to challenge his suspension, but it was dismissed. Mthembu remained on suspension until the city served him with a notice for a disciplinary hearing, which was held in February this year. He started with his evidence in the hearing on March 19. However, he was dismissed that same day due to allegations of threats and intimidation against municipal officials set to testify against him regarding invoice splitting. The hearing was never concluded. In his affidavit, Mthembu stated that his dismissal without a hearing was unlawful and not permitted. In argument, the counsel for the city, Advocate Lynette Naidoo SC, said this court lacked jurisdiction to hear Mthembu's application. She said Mthembu complained of failure to follow procedure before his dismissal, and the source of such a procedure is the collective agreement. 'The correct forum is arbitration and not this court,' she said. Acting Judge JT Djadje noted that Mthembu claimed that the city breached the terms of the Collective Agreement that regulates disciplinary procedures in the workplace. 'Given that the dispute between the parties must be arbitrated, this court has no jurisdiction to entertain it,' Djadje added. The breach that Mthembu refers to in the application is a failure by the municipality to follow the procedure provided in the Collective Agreement. Furthermore, Djadje said the source of the cause of action is the enforcement of the Collective Agreement and not breach of the employment contract. Additionally, the acting judge said factors indicating that Mthembu's matter was urgent were not explained. 'As far as financial hardship is concerned, all that the applicant stated was that the termination would have devastating financial consequences. Those consequences were not explained, and how the applicant would be affected,' Djadje said.
Eyewitness News
13-05-2025
- Business
- Eyewitness News
Joburg Council Speaker Mthembu notes growing disconnect between residents and municipality over service delivery
JOHANNESBURG - Johannesburg Council Speaker Nobuhle Mthembu said there was a growing disconnect between residents and the municipality, mainly due to unhappiness over service delivery. Mthembu recently completed a two-month public participation process on the city's draft budget for the next financial year. ALSO READ: CoJ Speaker Mthembu alarmed by residents' low engagement with proposed tariffs The integrated development plan, as it's formally known, is the mayor's vision for Johannesburg over the next three years. Mthembu said that the attendance during the public participation process was not satisfactory. "In a nutshell, a lot of our residents are not happy with the municipality, there is a gap between the municipality, which includes the public representatives, the entities and our residents. If we don't close that gap from our side, as legislature, then we will still continue having a lot of our people not attending IDPs and community-based planning."
