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The Department continues to call for action from Abaqulusi municipality, against Councillor Khumalo after the incident where he told mourners at a funeral how the municipality would blatantly disregard the rule of law.

While the department notes that his political party is contemplating taking steps against him, the utterances made by Cllr Khumalo demonstrate the violation of the rights of workers in the municipality and possibly exposed the municipality as a hub for illegal recruitment.

As a department, we will not shy away from holding councillors accountable for their conduct.

We believe that as public representatives they have to lead by example and not use unlawful means as well as inappropriate platforms like funerals to further their political agenda.

The department still expects answers from the municipality on the actions that it will take to investigate the conduct of this councillor.

This incident also sheds light on what could be a culture of impunity that runs in the Abaqulusi Local Municipality where councillors and office bearers have a direct hand in recruitment, which begs the question of how deep this rot could be.

These are some of the issues that the department will be calling for answers for from the municipality failing which it will explore other avenues in its quest to restore public confidence in this institution.

Issued by the MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Sihle Zikalala

The inclement weather conditions expected in the province during the spring have started, the latest warning which comes from the South African Weather Service indicates that severe thunderstorms can be expected this afternoon over parts of uMzinyathi, iLembe and King Cetshwayo districts, with an above-average risk of severe thunderstorms capable of producing damaging winds, excessive lightning and heavy downpours.

As the provincial government, we would like to urge communities residing in these districts to take all the necessary precautions as severe thunderstorms pose a risk to human lives.

According to the Weather Services, the thunderstorms could lead to localised damage to infrastructure, localised flooding, difficult driving conditions and localised injuries due to flying debris.

We have placed all our disaster management team on high alert so they can quickly respond should the need arise.

Residents are urged to:
* Avoid unnecessary trips as severe thunderstorms can produce heavy rain within a short space of time, which subsequently led to flash flooding
* reconsider outdoor plans in light of the forecast, and
* maintain a way to receive any warnings that may be issued.

Issued by the MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Sihle Zikalala

Freedom of association is one of the founding principles of our country’s democratic dispensation. No one has a right to threaten workers based on their political affiliations.

We are gravely concerned about the footage that is widely circulating on social media platforms which shows an office bearer from the Abaqulusi Local Municipality speaking during a funeral where they declare that the municipality will hire a person without any recruitment process and continue to say that if there are no vacancies in the municipality they will find a worker that is aligned to the African National Congress that they can fire so that the person they want to employ can take their place.

This conduct flies in the face of good governance and ethical conduct which the said councillor signed when they assumed office.

We have directed the department to prepare correspondence to the municipality which will request answers on what is unseemly conduct by a councillor, who has potentially brought the name of the municipality into disrepute.

In terms of Schedule 7 of the Municipal Structures act, the municipality is mandated to deal with allegations of misconduct against councillors deemed to be violating the code of conduct for councillors.

Some of the statements uttered in this clip border around the violation of certain basic constitutional rights and would contribute towards a hostile environment within the Abaqulusi Local Municipality where workers are threatened and dismissed based on their political affiliations and preferences.

As a department we will not hesitate to act without fear or favour in cases where the rights of workers are being infringed upon by office bearers, we also call upon the political party from which the said councillor belongs to conduct their probe into this conduct by its official.

Communities are tired of nepotism and corruption and utterances like the one made by the said councillor feed into this unfortunate narrative.

Issued by the MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Sihle Zikalala

As the provincial government, we are fully committed to expanding access to electricity and water for rural communities, yesterday, 30 September, we officially switched on the Siphofu Electrification project in uMzumbe ward 12 which connects 334 households to the grid for the very first time. We also commissioned a production borehole in KwaMgayi ward 8.

These projects are all funded by Cogta and are part of efforts by the provincial government to expand access to water and electricity for rural communities in the Ugu District.

The investment in electrical infrastructure in rural communities brings positive socio-economic benefits as it allows communities to have access to the modern-day conveniences that are provided by electricity.

School-going children no longer have to utilise candlelight to do their homework and those that have to prepare food no longer have to rely solely on firewood, they can now use electric stoves.

As the department of Cogta, we continue to execute our constitutional mandate of supporting municipalities through several measures which include grant transfers for special projects that deliver basic services to our communities such as water and electricity.

We have provided funding to the tune of R4 million which has been used to build hand pumps and production boreholes in twelve areas within the municipalities of uMzumbe and uMuziwabantu. The borehole we commissioned yesterday in KwaMgayi forms part of the projects funded by this grant.

This is a tangible demonstration of the provincial government’s commitment to dealing with the water crisis facing communities within the Ugu District.

Issued by the MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Sihle Zikalala

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On Friday, 23 September, we joined hundreds of mourners in paying tribute to late Ibambabukhosi Dr Dumisani Blasius Khumalo, 76 of the Osuthu Traditional Council, at a moving funeral ceremony that was held at KwaGqikazi TVET College in Nongoma.

Khumalo was murdered last week Saturday, 17 September by unknown gunmen.

He truly left an indelible mark on the lives of the people he came across in his private life and in the various roles that he served in including that of Iso LeSilo and Ibambabukhosi in the Osuthu Traditional Community a role that he was appointed into by the late King Zwelithini kaBhekuzulu.

The institution of traditional leadership has lost a fountain of wisdom, who went all out in the service of His Majesty.

We mourn with you your Majesty, King Misuluzulu kaZwelithini as you have lost a diligent steward, who stood by his principles of humility and servanthood until he took his last breath.

We call upon all law enforcement agencies to leave no stone unturned in their quest to apprehend the criminals that are responsible for this senseless murder.

As a former educator, speaker after speaker hailed Khumalo for his passion for education and for being at the forefront of programmes that are aimed at empowering young people.

Khumalo, served in various roles in the KZN Department of Education until his retirement, with the highest role being that of Chief Education Specialist for Ordinary School Education Head for KZN.

Issued by the MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Sihle Zikalala

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On the 16th of September, mayors and municipal managers from KwaZulu-Natal Municipalities were gathered at the Public Works, Mayville Conference Centre, for the quarterly meeting with the  Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs MEC, Sihle Zikalala.

The Head of Department ( HOD) Thando Tubane was the program director for the meeting. The MuniMec was attended by various stakeholders including amakhosi and officials from municipalities and provincial government. 

Keys among the issues that were discussed during the meeting, was the huge increase in monies owed to municipalities by various consumers which currently stand at R35.7 billion. On this item, all the mayors agreed on the importance of measures being implemented to circumvent the huge increase in debt and to find innovative ways to encourage consumers to settle their debt.

Speaking about this issue, MEC Zikalala added his voice to the call for municipalities to implement revenue enhancement measures and indicated that the department will support municipalities in all these efforts. “As municipalities, you do not have the luck of having a bottomless pit of money which you can use to deliver basic services to our communities. Consumers, therefore, have to play their part by paying for the services rendered to them.

Inkosi Shinga, the chairperson of the KZN Provincial House of Traditional Leaders (PHTL), shared some concerns from Amakhosi, he echoed the importance of Ward Committees and Traditional Councils to have a good working relationship so that the lives of the community can be bettered.

Various presentations were done by various representatives from Government Departments including the department of Transport which did a comprehensive presentation on all the work being done on roads belonging to it in the province. 

The meeting also welcomed the presentations on the Expanded Public Works Programme, National Anti-Corruption Hotline cases for the province and the Ilembe District Development Plan. 

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On the 12th of September 2022, the Department woke up to the harrowing news of yet another assassination of a councillor in the province.  This is the second assassination within the space of a week. 

On the 8th of September, two ward councillors under the Msinga Local Municipality were attacked by unknown gunmen who opened fire on the vehicle they were travelling in. In this incident, Cllr Siyanda Magubane of ward 11, unfortunately, succumbed to his injuries.

Yesterday, the Department learned of the sad news of the assassination of a ward 99 councillor in eThekwini, Cllr Mnqobi Molefe, who was also gunned down by unknown gunmen. 

Expressing his bereavement, MEC Zikalala said, “The pain and loss that we continue to suffer as a province in the hands of criminals that are hell-bent on weakening the sphere of local government has reached epic proportions.” 

MEC Zikalala is calling upon law enforcement agencies to leave no stone unturned in their quest to apprehend the terrorists responsible for these acts of treason. He said the attacks on councillors should be viewed as a crime against the state and the people of South Africa. 

“We call upon our communities to come forward with information that will assist law enforcement agencies in their investigations”, said Zikalala. “We also express our condolences to the families of the councillors, their community, political party and the municipalities they served under”, he added.

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The sphere of local government in our province and country is built on the back of the work that is done by councillors who are tasked with representing the interests of their ward or constituency. They serve as a bridge between the community and the council.

This morning we once more woke up to the harrowing news of yet another assassination of a councillor in our province, this is the second assassination within the space of a week. 

On the 8th of September, two ward councillors under the Msinga Local Municipality were attacked by unknown gunmen who opened fire on the vehicle they were travelling in. In this incident, Cllr Siyanda Magubane of ward 11, unfortunately, succumbed to his injuries.

Today, we learned of the sad news of the assassination of a ward 99 councillor in eThekwini, Cllr Mnqobi Molefe, who was also gunned down by unknown gunmen. 

The pain and loss that we continue to suffer as a province in the hands of criminals that are hell-bent on weakening the sphere of local government has reached epic proportions. 

We call upon law enforcement agencies to leave no stone unturned in their quest to apprehend the terrorists responsible for these acts of treason. 

The attacks on our councillors should be viewed as a crime against the state and the people of South Africa. 

The sphere of local government within our province will not succumb to the will of the forces of evil who seek to destabilise it. 

We call upon our communities to come forward with information that will assist law enforcement agencies in their investigations. 

We also express our condolences to the families of the councillors, their community, political party and the municipalities they served under. 

Issued by the MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Sihle Zikalala 

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We are devastated and saddened by the unbearable news of the brutal murder of Ms Nokuthula Dlamini who worked for the department as a Community Development Worker for Ward 16 in the Mtubatuba Local Municipality. 

Ms Dlamini was murdered together with her mother and 2 children (the youngest age 1) by unknown gunmen in the early hours of this morning. 

The fact that they had already taken the lives of the victims was not enough for these heartless individuals, who have the audacity to murder women and children, they went on to torch their victims’ dwelling.   

It is time that our law enforcement agencies take the fight to the next level.  We appeal for the cooperation among all agencies to brings these acts to a complete stop.  We want our women and children to feel safe in our Province.  These barbaric and inhumane acts of utmost violence have no place in our society.  September is heritage month, and in our African culture even during a war, our women and children remained sacrosanct!  This cowardice is foreign to us.

We call upon law enforcement agencies to collaborate and leave no stone unturned to bring the perpetrators of these heinous acts to book.

We also appeal to our communities to come forward with information that will assist law enforcement agencies to apprehend the people the criminals. 

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The sphere of local government continues to be at the coal face of service delivery to our communities.

Today, we convened a special meeting with the Mayors and Executive Committees of the Msunduzi, Mpofana and Inkosi Langalibalele Local Municipalities to assess their progress.

These three municipalities are under Section 139(1)b intervention in terms of the constitution.

The meeting was also attended by the respective Administrators and senior management.

The mayors of these municipalities provided us with a comprehensive report on service delivery, the status of the council; council structures and financial reports.

The reports provided by the municipalities give us hope and are a clear indication that these municipalities are making progress in turning their situation around.

Our call to these municipalities is for them to play their role in stabilising and providing solid leadership which will help them turn around their situation.

As a provincial government, we do not encourage prolonged interventions in municipalities. Our view is that the number of municipalities under intervention should be reduced over time. This requires the leadership of the municipalities to play their part and bring stability.

Part of the resolutions for this meeting is for the three municipalities to fill all vacant senior management positions. This will ensure that the municipalities can deliver their services to our communities.

These municipalities have performed well in terms of expenditure of the Municipal Infrastructure Grant, which is utilised to provide basic services to rural communities.

The issue of consumer debt continues to be a big drain on the finances of these municipalities as they are owed millions of rands by various consumers. We are committed to assisting these municipalities in their revenue enhancement drives.

Issued by the MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Sihle Zikalala

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