The Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) is closely monitoring two KwaZulu-Natal municipalities, Impendle Local Municipality and uThukela District Municipality, due to crippling governance failures that have undermined their ability to deliver services. Cogta minister Velenkosini Hlabisa warned that the municipalities are on the brink of administrative intervention, citing their inability to pay workers’ salaries and deliver basic services such as water.
The Impendle Local Municipality has not been able to pay salaries for some months, while uThukela is facing serious service delivery challenges, including the disruption of water and sanitation services. The Democratic Alliance (DA) has highlighted the problems in uThukela for the past few months, with DA councillor Thys van Rensburg stating that the party has been left with no choice but to turn to the courts as a last resort to uphold the constitutional rights of the residents of uThukela to access water.
Governance Challenges in KZN Municipalities
The governance challenges facing Impendle and uThukela are not unique to these municipalities, as many local governments across the country are struggling to deliver services due to financial and administrative constraints. According to the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, the white paper on local government aims to address the issue of funding for municipalities and resolve the financial challenges faced by councils across the country.
Interventions Underway
In Impendle Local Municipality, there are already interventions underway, with a team deployed by the provincial MEC for Cogta and another team deployed by the MEC for Finance set to begin its work next month. The interventions aim to address the governance challenges facing the municipality and ensure that residents receive the services they deserve.
Some of the key challenges facing the municipalities include:
- Inability to pay workers’ salaries
- Disruption of water and sanitation services
- Lack of implementation of forensic investigations’ recommendations
- Consequence management
The KZN Cogta department had not responded to the request for comment by the time of publication. However, Minister Hlabisa emphasized that the government is committed to addressing the governance challenges facing municipalities and ensuring that residents receive the services they deserve.
