IMPENDLE, 28 January 2026 – The KwaZulu-Natal MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA), Reverend Thulasizwe Buthelezi, has today conducted an oversight visit to the Impendle Local Municipality to address a deepening financial and governance crisis that has left the institution unable to meet its most basic obligations.
The MEC’s intervention follows the municipality’s failure to pay salaries to councillors and staff, a direct result of the total depletion of municipal coffers. During a stern engagement with the full council and senior management, MEC Buthelezi demanded immediate answers for the collapse of internal controls.
MEC Buthelezi noted with grave concern that the municipality has been operating without a Mayor since July 2025. He described this leadership vacuum as a dereliction of duty that has allowed administrative instability to go unchecked.
“A municipality cannot be a ship without a captain. This leadership vacuum has directly contributed to the current state of lawlessness and financial ruin we see today,” said MEC Buthelezi.
To restore order, the MEC has issued a directive that a Mayor must be formally appointed by Thursday, 5 February 2026. Furthermore, all ten councillors have been served with the Code of Conduct and must provide written reasons by the same date explaining why they should not be held personally liable for failing to exercise their oversight roles.
The MEC further flagged the gross mismanagement of R43.5 million in conditional grants. It was revealed that while critical service delivery projects remain unfinished, portions of these funds were diverted to pay operational costs like salaries, while other portions were sent back to the National Treasury due to a failure to spend them.
“It is a betrayal of the residents of Impendle that money meant for water, roads, and electricity is being sent back to Pretoria or used to cover administrative failures while our people continue to wait for services. This ends now,” the MEC added.
Issued by the KZN Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, KwaZulu-Natal.
Ends.
