Durban — Knives are out for the KwaDukuza Municipality mayor and municipal manager, both of whom control the entity’s R2.7 billion annual budget — and the bid to have them ousted apparently comes from the ranks of their own party, the ANC.
It’s believed that the ANC’s provincial secretary in Kwazulu-Natal Bheki Ntuli is driving the mission to recall mayor Lindile Nhaca and suspend municipal manager Nhlanhla Mdakane, apparently over their alleged dealings with counter-revolutionary forces, which has resulted in the collapse of service delivery in KwaDukuza.
But, according to municipal officials, the municipality has received unqualified financial reports from the Auditor-General for the past 18 years. Ntuli’s intentions for KwaDukuza’s two top officials, whom he has in his crosshairs, were made clear in a rant during a closed meeting with ANC-aligned KwaDukuza councillors on July 10.
The meeting at the local General Gazinga Mpanza regional office was secretly recorded and leaked to members of the media.
Ntuli has also threatened to apply Section 139 of the Constitution, which could be used by those with the requisite authority to intervene in a misfiring municipality, to achieve his objective.
He is also prepared to use his considerable clout in the ANC — his good standing with the party’s seniors, including President Cyril Ramaphosa — to achieve his objective.
“We are going to use Section 139 (b) in KwaDukuza because Mdakane is now a counter-revolutionary, he is buying everyone, he has messed up the ANC,” Mtolo is heard saying in the recorded voice clip.
Mtolo described those involved in the leaking of the recording as traitors who continue to occupy ANC seats in the council.
When approached by the Sunday Tribune about the leaked recording, Mtolo sent video clips of his interview with 1KZN TV, where he talked about the meeting in question, as his response. “There are signs that among the 29 ANC councillors, not everyone is an ANC member, even though they have membership cards,” said Mtolo in the video.
In the leaked voice clip, Mtolo, who spoke in Zulu, said once an administrator was in place, Mdakane would be suspended because “the money is driving him (Mdakane) crazy”.
“Since we cannot suspend him (Mdakane), we must put in an administrator who would manage matters and strip him of signing powers at the bank. He would be unable to sign for anything.
“I am going to deploy a brave man (as an administrator) who is going to make him run.”
Mtolo said he would place someone at the municipality who could make people “fart and urinate, (and) we will do that”.
“Before 20 August, we must have pushed KwaDukuza Municipality to Section 139 (b) to close the tap that is messing up the ANC (sic),” Mtolo is heard saying in the recording.
He also called for Nhaca to be replaced by Councillor Njabulo Cele, who for months had been earmarked to replace the now-late deputy mayor Thulani 'Mbazo' Ntuli, who died in March 2023.
KwaDukuza’s spokesperson, Sifiso Zulu, confirmed that the deputy mayor’s position has been vacant for more than a year and another meeting to fill the position was scheduled for July 11 but was postponed.
Zulu said Nhaca was at the meeting, which Mtolo addressed, and was “totally surprised and felt embarrassed to have learned of such a proposal (Cele for mayor)”.
That is where Mtolo suggested to the ANC councillors present that at the next sitting of council, at a date that is yet to be decided, they should vote for Cele to replace Nhaca. “Right now they (other parties) want a deputy mayor, it is fine to give it to them.
“We must remove Lindy (Nhaca) and put Njabulo because he has been waiting for a long time (for the position),” said Mtolo.
Mtolo told the councillors that as the provincial secretary, he had much power. “If the decision I have to take is major, I phone the top, I phone the president and say, president there is this decision which we are thinking of taking, what do you say?” He said his seniors’ response would usually be “run boy”, meaning he would be given the go-ahead.
To remove a mayor, Mtolo said he would approach the ANC’s provincial heads in KZN (PWC and PEC).
“I am in the Provincial Executive Committee, I am a bull as I carry PEC power. I would say mayor, the ANC said you should resign,” he said.
During his 1 KZN TV interview, Mtolo said the ANC was prepared to give the deputy mayor position to the IFP in exchange for Cele becoming the mayor. He said the ANC would no longer continue to keep dishonest councillors. The party had found problems in the office of the mayor, which collapsed the governance system and leadership in Kwadukuza, and the ANC’s intervention was needed.
“The level of service delivery in KwaDukuza has dropped considerably, and there is no leadership stability there,” he said.
Zulu said there were “no apparent reasons why Mtolo elected to make this assertion (to recall Nhaca)”. “She was elected to lead the council with the blessings and mandate of the ANC’s collective, and not an individual. The mayor also believes that the rules of natural justice should apply and the ANC must follow a fair and just process to solicit her responses on this matter. Failure to afford her the right to respond may be interpreted as a witch-hunt,” said Zulu.
He said that since Nhaca assumed the position in 2021, she has steered the municipality “towards becoming the most financially stable in the province and number seven in the country in terms of Ratings Afrika.”
“This accolade is an expression that the municipality has been able to manage the public purse prudently and diligently. The municipality over the last three years has obtained unqualified audit opinions which demonstrates her commitment to adhering to legal regulations as a chairperson of the finance committee and as a mayor,” said Zulu.
Zulu could not respond on behalf of Mdakane, who was on leave. But he said only the Department of Co-operative Government and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) could place the municipality under administration when it didn’t fulfil its constitutional legislation to approve a budget “or any revenue-raising measures necessary to effect the budget”.
“Cogta will use such regulation when a municipality is in a crisis with its financial affairs, and when it is in serious or persistent material breach of its obligations to provide basic services, meet its financial commitments, and admits that it is unable to meet its obligations or financial commitments,” said Zulu.
Mdakane said he was unaware of the plot against him.
“As far as I know, there are no problems between me and the ANC. I have been an ANC member for a very, very long time. The person who is better placed to answer is the one who made this statement (Mtolo) as I am not aware of any problem that I have with the ANC,” said Mdakane.
Cogta’s provincial spokesperson, Nonala Ndlovu, said only the provincial government had the authority to place municipalities under administration.
“Putting a municipality under administration for whatever reason is a prerogative of the provincial executive council in terms of the constitution.”
She said the department could not be drawn into Mtolo’s utterances.
Sunday Tribune