The mayor of the embattled uMkhanyakude District Municipality in KwaZulu-Natal has assured residents that services remain uninterrupted, despite the municipality being placed under administration due to financial mismanagement.
The Auditor-General (AG) recently flagged the municipality’s failure to implement an effective credit and debt collection policy, leading to severe revenue shortages. As a result, the KwaZulu-Natal Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA) MEC, Thulasizwe Buthelezi, was instructed to intervene under Section 139 of the Constitution.
Revenue Collection Crisis
The Mayor Siphile Mdaka acknowledged the AG’s concerns, stating that the municipality had been given directives to address its revenue collection challenges.
“The AG raised the issue of our failure to collect revenue. The matter was escalated to me, the speaker, the audit committee, and the municipal treasurer,” Mdaka said. “We responded to the AG on July 7, outlining our mitigation plans, and we are awaiting feedback.”
He admitted that revenue collection remains the municipality’s biggest challenge but claimed that other issues previously raised—including political instability—had been resolved.
Dispute Over Administration Intervention
The mayor disputed the necessity of the provincial intervention, arguing that most of the triggers cited by CoGTA—such as political instability—had already been addressed.
“All seven triggers from 2021 have been resolved. The only outstanding issue is revenue collection,” he said.
However, reports of dysfunction persist. Last month, MEC Buthelezi was allegedly blocked from accessing municipal offices, an incident Mdaka distanced himself from, stating, “I cannot take responsibility for that.”
Workers Protest Unpaid Salaries
Meanwhile, municipal workers have reportedly not received their salaries since mid-July. Journalists from Newsroom Africa were threatened and prevented from filming at the municipal offices by angry employees, who claimed the gates had been locked since July 14.
The uMkhanyakude District Municipality, governed by the ANC, has faced recurring financial and administrative crises. While the mayor insists services are ongoing, the continued unrest and provincial intervention suggest deeper systemic issues remain unresolved.
