The KwaZulu-Natal Government has reversed its decision to place Umkhanyakude District Municipality under administration.

After months of public spats and a court battle, the provincial cabinet finally agreed to withdraw the Section 139(b) intervention which it used to curtail the powers of the municipality. The withdrawal was confirmed by the provincial spokesperson Bongani Gina, who said that after the cabinet considered a new presentation by the municipality, with proof of improvements in the areas the cabinet had based its decision on, it agreed that the section 139(b) was no longer necessary and converted this to a Section154 intervention to assist the municipality in financial and administrative challenges.

“Yes, the cabinet has withdrawn the decision and terminated the administrator’s contract. The cabinet converted it to Section 154,” said Gina. 

District Mayor Siphile Mdaka said although he has not yet received formal communication from the provincial council, he can confirm that the administrator Bamba Ndwandwe has been removed from administering the municipality’s bank account. Mdaka welcomed the move, saying the current developments give the municipality an opportunity to focus on its core interests.

“From the onset we have objected to this ‘fresh’ interventio,n hence we have taken the matter to court and also wrote to the cabinet of KZN.  Our view was that there was no justification for this intervention,” said Mdaka.

There was a drama last month when Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs MEC Reverend Thulasizwe Buthelezi was physically prevented from entering the premises of the municipality, in the north of the province, to formally introduce the appointed administrator.

The municipality leadership openly defied the provincial cabinet, accusing Buthelezi of targeting ANC-led municipalities for political reasons.

The ANC said that the so-called intervention was nothing short of an abuse of constitutional provisions for political gain, adding that it lacked merit, rationale, and integrity. 

The party argued that the municipality has made tangible progress in governance, financial recovery, and service delivery, therefore there was no objective basis for it to be laced under administration. 

However, in a media briefing last month, the IFP defended its cabinet-led decision, dismissing the ANC’s political claim. The party’s president Velenkosi Hlabisa, who is also Cogta minister, said that the government’s decision remained firm and will not be influenced by political pressures. He said it was not a political decision but a cabinet one.

willem.phungula@inl.co.za

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