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 KZN Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) has confirmed that it has received reports of allegations of interference in the public procurement processes involving Zululand District Mayor Thulasizwe Buthelezi.

The department has been inundated with media queries on this matter and would like to clarify as follows; Upon receiving the allegations the  MEC for COGTA Nomusa Dube-Ncube, wrote to the Speaker of the Zululand District Municipality, urging the respective council to investigate this matter without delay.

According to the allegations received by KZN Cogta, Mayor Buthelezi participated in the formal public procurement processes of his municipality on at least two occasions earlier this year. This runs against the spirit of the country’s local government legislation which seeks to promote clean governance.

 The Department is informed that the Mayor of Zululand Municipality, CIIr T. D. Buthelezi, is alleged to have attended and participated in the briefing session held on 18 April 2018 in respect of two municipal tenders, namely, the Rudimentary South Water Supply (Drilling of Borehoies) project and the Rudimentary North Water Supply (Drilling of 60 boreholes) project.

In terms of section 117 of the MFMA, a councillor may not be a member of a municipal bid committee or any other committee evaluating or approving tenders, quotations, contracts or other bids, nor attend any such meeting as an observer.

In terms of section 118(a) of the MFMA, no person may interfere with the supply chain management system of a municipality or municipal entity.

In addition, Part 2 of the MFMA deals with criminal proceedings, and Section 173 (5)(e) provides that a councillor, an official of a municipality or municipal entity, a member of the board of directors of a municipal entity or any other person is guilty of an offence if that person deliberately or in a grossly negligent way contravenes a provision of section 115(2), 118 or 126(5).

Item 2(b) of the Schedule 1 to the Local Government: Municipal Systems Act No. 32 of 2000 (“Code”) provides that a councillor must at all times act in the best interest of the municipality and in such a way that the credibility and integrity of the municipality are not compromised.

Item 11(a) of the Code also provides that a councillor may not, except as provided for by law, interfere in the management or administration of any department of the municipal council unless mandated by Council, and Item 11(d) provides that a councillor may not encourage or participate in any conduct which would cause or contribute to maladministration in the council.

In terms of Item 13 of the Code, if the Speaker of the council, on reasonable suspicion, is of the opinion that a provision of the Code has been breached, the Speaker must-(a) authorise an investigation of the facts and circumstances of the alleged breach; (b) give the councillor a reasonable opportunity to reply in writing regarding the alleged breach; and (c) report the matter to a meeting of the municipal council after paragraphs(a) and (b) have been complied with.

“Our role in local government institutions is to ensure that all municipalities in the province run clean administrations where all elected public representatives abide by all applicable laws, including the Municipal Finance Management Act,” said KZN MEC for Cogta Nomusa Dube-Ncube.

 “These are very serious allegations and we as Cogta appeal to the Zululand District council to investigate them without fear or favour and act in the best interest of the people of Zululand who deserve a clean and accountable local government,” said Dube-Ncube.

For more information contact: KZN Cogta spokesperson Lennox Mabaso, 082 884 2403

Twitter: www.twitter.com/kzncogta

Facebook: www.facebook.com/kzncogta

Website: www.kzncogta.gov.za

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KZN MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) Nomusa Dube-Ncube has called upon law enforcement agencies in the province to increase security measures aimed at protecting councillors whose lives are in danger.

 This follows last night’s incident where the house of ward 12 councillor Nancy Jili in the uBuhlebezwe Local Municipality was burned to the ground. This is in addition to the senseless murder of eThekwini councillor Sibusiso Maphumulo which happened last week.

Dube-Ncube has called for strong measures to be taken against the perpetrators of these cowardly acts that also put at risk the lives of councillors’ families. Councillor Jili’s family thankfully managed to escape without personal injuries.

 The incident which took place last night was not the first as previously unknown assailants shot at the family’s home and fled. “These incidents are cause for great concern across the sphere of local government in the province as lives of public representatives continue to be under threat from unrully elements that want to take our province to the past,” said Dube-Ncube.

 “The trauma which has been experienced by the Jili and Maphumulo families is something that should never happen again within our province. The senseless intimidation of public representatives by criminal elements will not be tolerated,” continued Dube-Ncube.

 Dube-Ncube has urged communities to come forward with information that will assist in the apprehension of those who are responsible for these heinous acts. KZN Cogta has also dispatched a team of officials to uBuhlebezwe to assess the damages and explore ways to assist councillor Jili and her family.

For more information contact: KZN Cogta spokespersons Lennox Mabaso, 082 884 2403; or Senzelwe Mzila, 082 302 3472

Twitter: www.twitter.com/kzncogta

Facebook: www.facebook.com/kzncogta

Website: www.kzncogta.gov.za

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As part of KZN’s measures to deal with disasters, the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) under the leadership of MEC Nomusa Dube-Ncube today handed out lightning conductors to households in Nongoma. This initiative will ensure that people are protected from lightning strikes which are common in rural areas where they leave a trail of death and destruction in their wake.

 Speaking to thousands of community members from the areas of ekuBungazeleni, Esiphambanweni, Moscow, Bambelentulo, Sibonelo, eDushwini, Cabokwakhe, Nkabane, Kombuzi and Hlanzeni in Nongoma who had come to attend the Provincial Summer Disater Awareness launch at the ekuBangazeleni Sports Grounds,  Dube-Ncube urged communities to exercise caution when there are heavy rains, lightning and thunder.

 “Our province is regularly battered with heavy winds coupled with rains that cause localised flooding. This causes death and destruction costing millions of rand which could go towards accelerating service delivery in our communities. Our gathering here with you as the community of ward 20 is to ensure that no more lives are lost to incidents that occur during the summer season,” said Dube-Ncube.

 During the launch, Dube-Ncube revealed measures that her department has implemented in order to lessen the negative impact of disasters. These include dispatching disaster teams, equipment and resources to various parts of the province as part of beefing-up of the provincial capability to deal with disasters.

 Dube-Ncube also announced various service delivery interventions that are planned in partnership with the Department of Social Development, Human Settlements and the Provincial Treasury which will see families receiving RDP houses under the existing Operation Sukuma Sakhe programme.

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KZN MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) Nomusa Dube-Ncube today assigned a team of senior officials to table before the Endumeni council the report on a forensic investigation into irregular expenditure at the municipality in terms of Section 106(1)(b) of the Municipal Systems Act (Act 32 of 2000).

The report reveals damning findings of fraud, corruption and maladministration as well as irregular, unauthorised and fruitless expenditure involving a councillor and some former officials of the municipality.

The report has exposed issues such as payments to individuals under the pretext that these were donations to religious organisations, even though such religious organisations were later found to be non-existent, payments to business entities to purchase equipment in contravention of the municipality’s own policies, fraudulent subsistence and travel claims, irregular appointment of service providers in violation of the municipality’s supply chain management procedures, excessive and irregular expenditure on security services, etc.

“This forensic report is proof of our commitment to good and clean governance. As government we are committed to ensuring that our municipalities spend each and every rand on the real needs of communities.  We are fighting maladministration, fraud and corruption in municipalities wherever and whenever these occur. All reported allegations are duly investigated without fear or favour and Cogta does regular follow-ups on the progress with implementation of its recommendations,” said KZN MEC for Cogta Nomusa Dube-Ncube.

Upon receipt of allegations of irregular expenditure at Endumeni, the MEC for Cogta designated Mdledle Incorporated to conduct the forensic investigation, the scope of which included suspicious donations and various irregularities. These allegations were directed at some of the most senior elected leaders and appointed officials at the Endumeni municipality and concrete findings have been established.

“I have today assigned a team of senior officials to table the report to the Endumeni council. The council has been given 21 days within which to table the report before full council, deal with specific details contained in the report and thereafter report to the MEC for Cogta on the remedial actions,” said Dube-Ncube.

“We are committed to investigating all instances of wrongdoing, including fraud and corruption, in municipalities that are brought to our attention. The department conducts a multitude of investigations simultaneously and reports on the progress of all ongoing investigations to the Provincial Legislature on a regular basis,” said Dube-Ncube.

For more information contact: KZN Cogta spokespersons Lennox Mabaso, 082 884 2403; or Senzelwe Mzila 0823023472

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KZN MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) Nomusa Dube-Ncube has condemned the desecration of burial sites by unscrupulous criminals who have reportedly removed granite tombstones from the grave sites in Tongaat (eThekwini) for commercial resale as granite kitchen tops.

Dube-Ncube has urged law enforcement agencies to act with haste to apprehend these culprits: “We are really disturbed by these reports about people who do not respect grave sites and who are desecrating them by stealing tombstones placed there by relatives to remember their loved ones who are no more”.

“Tampering with grave sites is a serious offence that carries a hefty fine and even a prison sentence. The KZN Cemeteries and Crematoria Act requires one to seek permission from the MEC for Local Government to formally exhume a grave site. KZN Cogta MEC is the custodian of grave sites in the province and he or she must be consulted in this regard,” said Dube-Ncube.

Dube-Ncube has called upon communities to be vigilant. “The reports we have received indicate that the stolen tombstones are used to make granite kitchen tops which are then re-sold to unsuspecting communities. We urge our communities to ensure that they know the origins of the material they purchase, especially granite,” said Dube-Ncube.

Dube-Ncube has also urged municipalities to ensure that adequate security measures are put in place to prevent such incidents from re-occurring.

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KZN MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) Nomusa Dube-Ncube has condemned the act of vandalism in the uThukela District Municipality where five water stations were destroyed last night. The incident threatens to plunge communities in Kliptown and Watermede in wards 15, 16, 18 and 19 of the Alfred Duma Local Municipality into crisis.

“This blatant disregard for the rights of others amounts to an act of sabotage and is tantamount to treason and warrants a priority categorisation coupled with a high level response from law enforcement agencies. Water is a National Key Point, this deliberate act of vandalism on water infrastructure is a direct attack on our democracy and the right of citizens. The time has come for all society to unite and expose these saboteurs so that we can make an example out of them” said Dube-Ncube.

We have confidence in law enforcement agencies supported by the community will work around the clock to bring these saboteurs to book.

Dube-Ncube has dispatched a team from Cogta to assess and quantify the extent of the damage to these pumps and to come up with measures to be implemented in order to safeguard this vital infrastructure and the service delivery it ensures for the local communities.

Members of the community are urged to come forward with any information that could assist in finding those who are responsible for this heinous act.

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As the predicted inclement weather hits parts of the Province of KwaZulu-Natal, the MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) Nomusa Dube-Ncube has placed all disaster management teams on standby.

According to the South African Weather Service a cold front that is expected to sweep through the province starting from today and parts of Thursday. Gail force winds and heavy rains which could lead to localised flooding are expected along the coastal areas, with snowfall in the southern and central parts of the Drakensberg.

Dube-Ncube has urged motorists to drive carefully on our roads; “As a province we take this weather alert seriously and we are monitoring the situation especially in areas that we know are prone to incidents like localised flooding. We are urging all motorists on our roads to be extra vigilant as roads can become slippery. We call for extra caution to be applied when crossing bridges especially in low lying areas, we also urge residents to not cross walk ways or rivers. Those residing in low lying areas we urge them to seek shelter in higher ground”.

“The threat of snow in areas surrounding the Drakensberg is real and our teams are monitoring the situation and we urge motorists to pay attention to the weather reports before embarking on any trip which will take them to areas that are prone to snow fall” said Dube-Ncube.

For urgent assistance communities can contact the Provincial Disaster Center:  0800 005133.

For more information contact: KZN Cogta spokespersons Lennox Mabaso, 082 884 2403; or Senzelwe Mzila. 082 302 3472.

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The Head of Department in the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Finance Mr Simiso Magagula together with the Cabinet Operation Sukuma Sakhe team visited kwaDambuza in Ward 21 in the Msunduzi Local Municipality. This visit came about as various members of the provincial cabinet descended on the uMgungundlovu District, as part of Cabinet OSS. Various MEC’s visited wards and interacted with communities in order to address service delivery issues. Magagula represented MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Ms Nomusa Dube-Ncube who is currently conducting government business abroad, she is the political champion for the eThekwini Metro.

In his visit to Dambuza, Magagula inspected a R5 million rand sewer project which will connect close to 100 households. “This project that we are seeing in progress today, it will go a long way to address sanitation issues that are negatively impacting the community” said Magagula.

The team that was accompanying Magagula conducted a clean up of areas that had become illegal dumping grounds within Dambuza. The clean up also served as an opportunity to educate members of the community about the importance of keeping their community clean.

In addition to that the OSS team conducted a town hall meeting with members of the community where service delivery issues were addressed by communities. Issues raised by the community included, poor quality building of the local school, lack of sports facilities and recreation for the youth.

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