HOWICK, KwaZulu-Natal – The uMngeni Local Municipality, recently ranked as KwaZulu-Natal’s top performer for service delivery, remains hampered by infrastructure backlogs, electricity losses exceeding 34%, and national funding constraints that reward defaulting on Eskom, according to Executive Mayor Christopher Pappas.
In a wide-ranging interview, Pappas acknowledged the province’s recognition while detailing the “systemic limits” preventing a clean audit, including weak contractor evaluations, a high debtors book, and a disputed contract extension.
The municipality retained an unqualified audit with findings—stopping short of a clean audit. Pappas explained that rebuilding internal systems required sequencing priorities.
“The main thing that stopped us was internal controls around contractor performance management,” he said. “Our primary focus was making sure performance management around officials was robust. The next step is the same systems for contractors.”
Electricity losses remain the most material finding, with theft accounting for roughly 34% of supply—more than a third. Pappas said the problem is as much cultural as technical.
“You can change as many meters as you want. But if people don’t believe electricity is something they have to pay for, you’re fighting your own people,” he said. He noted that all three political parties in council have stopped politicising the issue.
However, he revealed a perverse funding obstacle: “We’ve gone to Treasury, to COGTA, to the Department of Electricity. Most entities told us the municipality will only get assistance if we default on our Eskom account. We are up to date. The only way to get help to fix this is to default.”
Since installing 1,000 prepaid meters, the municipality has seen revenue increase by approximately R550,000 per month—about R6 million annually. Pappas said areas with meters also show reduced consumption because residents become conscious of usage.
On the incomplete uMthinzima substation in Mpophomeni, sitting at 47.4% completion against a 60% target, Pappas blamed land rights delays—including an person arrested for murder—and Eskom’s failure to connect despite deposits paid more than three years ago. “Our work is at practical completion. Eskom needs to connect.”
Regarding roads, Pappas said main roads are 95-100% drivable, secondary feeder roads 75-80%, and approximately 25-30% of smaller suburban roads still need attention, excluding gravel roads requiring conversion. The roads budget has grown from R11 million to R42 million—the municipality’s highest ever allocation.
The Auditor General also flagged a contract extension or modification of nearly R1 million without proper public advertising. Pappas said it involved extending internal audit services while recruiting a new chief audit executive.
“No money went missing. We did not advertise the extension properly. But even when no money is lost, accountability still applies,” he said. The audit manager “is no longer in the employ of the municipality” after a disciplinary process, though Pappas noted the individual left before finalisation.
He highlighted a critical weakness in local government accountability: “If R100,000 goes missing through irregular expenditure, a municipality can spend R600,000 trying to recover it from an official who has now left. Once officials face disciplinary action, they often leave.”
Pappas placed ultimate responsibility for a clean audit on the municipal manager and directors. “If it’s supply chain, it’s the CFO. If it’s infrastructure, it’s the director for technical services. We’ve seen CFOs leave for underperformance. Where we found criminality in the R300 million irregular expenditure backlog we inherited, we have opened criminal cases.”
When asked what residents should expect if the municipality fails to achieve a clean audit in the next cycle, Pappas said: “The accounting officer and directors need to take accountability, and we must implement consequences as we have been doing.”
