By Celani Sikhakhane
- The Msunduzi Municipality cut off electricity to government offices on Monday as part of a campaign to collect money.
- Meyer accuses the mayors of sabotage and says they ignored his payment plans to score cheap political points.
A political war over unpaid bills has shut down government offices across the province.
On Monday, the Msunduzi Municipality in Pietermaritzburg cut off electricity to state buildings. This follows similar cuts in Durban by the eThekwini Metro.
The municipalities say they are just trying to collect unpaid rates. They call the campaign “Qoqimali”, which means gathering money.
But Public Works MEC Martin Meyer says this is an attack.
Meyer, who is from the DA, claims the ANC mayors are playing games. He says he offered to pay the debts, but they cut the power anyway.
“This acts as political sabotage,” Meyer said.
He is the landlord for over 10,000 government buildings in the province. He says cutting services to these places hurts ordinary people who need help from the state.
Meyer accused eThekwini Mayor Cyril Xaba and Msunduzi Mayor Mzi Thebolla of breaking the law.
He says they did not communicate or listen to his payment plans.
“This moment calls for responsible leadership, not political point-scoring,” Meyer added.
He warns that shutting down licensing offices and other departments stops essential work from getting done.
Pictured above: KZN MEC for Public Works Martin Meyer.
Image source: KZN Public Works and Infrastructure
