By Celani Sikhakhane
ActionSA’s KZN leader Zwakele Mncwango is calling the province’s intervention in the eThekwini metro “a waste of taxpayers’ money”, setting off a dispute with the province’s MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Reverend Thulasizwe Buthelezi.
Buthelezi has called up the Constitution’s Section 154, which directs national and provincial government to “support and strengthen the capacity of municipalities to manage their own affairs”.
Mncwango says this does not help to hold municipal authorities accountable. He believes Buthelezi should rather look at Section 139(b), which states that the provincial executive can directly intervene in a failing municipality, and is often used in troubled provincial municipalities.
The disagreement led to a heated exchange between Mncwango and Buthelezi.
Mncwango said: “It is very disturbing that the MEC seems to have no clue about this intervention as he applauded it. The problem here is that the deployment of Dr Mike Sutcliff and Professor Cassius Lubisi through this section is a useless exercise because they only play an advisory role in the municipality.
“They don’t have the power to stop the overspending of taxpayers’ money like they would under Section 139(b). With this current intervention, authorities will continue to exploit taxpayers’ funds.”
Buthelezi responded on uKhozi FM’s current affairs show, discussing the importance of the intervention and the need to deploy two representatives, Dr Mike Sutcliff and Professor Cassius Lubisi, due to the municipality’s size.
“This intervention means that the provincial government will have a say in the running of the City of eThekwini,” said Buthelezi.
The DA in eThekwini has praised the intervention, saying it was necessary because of the municipality’s sporadic service delivery and out-of-control debt.
Local government expert Sutciff was city manager for years under Mayor Obed Mlaba but left under a cloud after being accused in an alleged tender scandal that was never investigated. Lubisi is a former adviser to former president Jacob Zuma.
Pictured above: Local government expert Dr Mike Sutcliff has been deployed in eThekwini along with Dr Cassius Lubisi.
Source: X
