By Celani Sikhakhane
- Zululand Deputy Mayor Siyabonga Mbatha says he is still using his municipal vehicle, despite being instructed to surrender it over alleged absenteeism.
- Mayor Mkhonyovu Khumalo’s letter accuses Mbatha of racking up high fuel and maintenance costs while repeatedly skipping official duties.
IFP councillor Siyabonga Mbatha, Deputy Mayor of Zululand District Municipality, is accused of refusing to surrender his municipal vehicle after the District Mayor instructed the Municipal Manager to take it back, over allegations that Mbatha misused the vehicle while repeatedly being absent from work.
The instruction was issued on 3 September, but Mbatha told Scrolla.Africa on Tuesday that he is still using the municipal vehicle as his official car to carry out his duties. He said he only learned he had been stripped of the vehicle through social media, and that no official communication had been sent to him.
“As I am talking to you, I am still using the vehicle as a designated resource for my duties, and I am still at work. I really don’t know where all these things come from. This is my response to you, thank you, because I am now switching off the phone,” Mbatha said.
According to a letter sent by Mayor Mkhonyovu Khumalo to Mbatha, the municipality is spending significant taxpayer money maintaining and fuelling the vehicle while Mbatha is frequently absent from work.
“Mbatha is no longer attending any official duties, including municipal meetings within his area. The vehicle’s maintenance and fuel costs are too high, including damages to the car and the replacement of tyres. These actions are creating operational difficulties for the office of the Mayor and damaging the public image of this municipality. It has been observed with serious concern that, despite numerous requests from the Mayor for you to represent the municipality at official engagements with stakeholders, you have repeatedly failed to attend and repeatedly failed to inform the Mayor or the Office of the Mayor of your unavailability,” the letter reads.
Khumalo, when approached for comment, said he was in a meeting and requested a text message, but had not responded by the time of publication.
Municipal Manager Philani Mosia told Scrolla.Africa that the matters raised remain subject to internal processes.
“It would be premature and procedurally improper to respond substantively to the specific questions. The municipality wishes to emphasise that all internal processes will be conducted with due diligence,” Mosia said.
This dispute plays out against a difficult backdrop for the municipality.
Zululand District Municipality has been under Section 139 provincial administration since May 2024, following broader governance failures. Khumalo himself has faced controversy before, including a 2022 scandal in which he was caught on video instructing a municipal manager to fire an ANC-aligned worker to make way for a deceased councillor’s child, and a 2025 altercation with police after he was barred from entering a voting station during a ward by-election.
Pictured above: IFP councillor and Zululand District Municipality Deputy Mayor Siyabonga Mbatha, who is accused of misusing a municipal vehicle while repeatedly absent from work.
Image source: ZDM
