- Outgoing Jozini mayor Nkosinathi Myeni fears political enemies could place muthi in his official vehicles to cause a fatal accident.
- The Inkatha Freedom Party faces a battle to retain control of Jozini Municipality after winning 18 of the council’s 49 seats.
Outgoing Jozini mayor Nkosinathi Scelo Myeni fears his political enemies could use witchcraft to kill him if he returns to office.
Myeni has asked municipal officials to keep his two official Toyota Fortuners in a safe place because he fears someone could put muthi in them to cause a deadly accident.
His request has sparked a political row in the northern KwaZulu-Natal municipality, with opponents accusing him of refusing to hand over full control of the vehicles.
Sources told Scrolla.Africa that Myeni wanted the vehicles kept away from other people even though they belong to the municipality.
But Myeni rejected the claims during an interview on Sunday, saying he had already returned the vehicles and was only worried about his safety.
“I made that request out of concern over my safety in case I get re-elected as the mayor of Jozini. Our area of Jozini is very dangerous when it comes to witchcraft,” he said.
He fears someone could put muthi in the vehicles to cause an accident if he becomes mayor again.
Myeni said he would refuse to use the vehicles if his request was ignored because he believed doing so could put his life at risk.
He also said keeping the cars would save taxpayers money because the struggling municipality would not have to buy him new vehicles if he returned to office.
“The municipality has no money at all and I know how bad the situation is,” he said.
Myeni insisted he was the first councillor in Jozini to return municipal property without waiting for an official letter demanding it.
He accused his political rivals of trying to destroy his reputation.
“This is a smear campaign that is being used by certain politicians to damage my reputation by spreading lies and misinformation about me,” he said.
Despite the political battles, Myeni retained Ward 1 for the Inkatha Freedom Party in the local government elections.
But his party faces a tough fight to keep control of the municipality.
The Inkatha Freedom Party won 18 of the 49 council seats, followed by the uMkhonto weSizwe Party with 15 and the African National Congress with 13.
Jozini Congress secured two seats while the Economic Freedom Fighters won one.
A party or coalition needs 25 seats to control the council.
The municipality is expected to hold its first council meeting on Tuesday, 17 November, to elect a mayor, deputy mayor, speaker and chief whip.
Myeni became mayor in May 2025 after the expulsion of Mfananaye Mathe, who later left the Inkatha Freedom Party to join Jozini Congress.
For Jozini residents, the battle raises questions about how municipal vehicles are managed and whether public money will be spent on new cars.
For Myeni, however, the biggest concern is whether the vehicles he once used could become a danger to his life.
