Celani Sikhakhane brings you KwaZulu-Natal’s latest news.
eThekwini: The Auditor-General’s report on the 2024/25 audit outcomes for eThekwini Municipality, tabled at the eThekwini Council meeting on Thursday, revealed that during the 2024/25 financial year, the municipality wasted R4.48-billion in irregular spending and R67.35-million in fruitless and wasteful expenditure. Of these amounts, municipal leadership has written off R2.49-billion (43%) of the irregular expenditure and only R3.1-million (4%) of the fruitless and wasteful expenditure, with no funds recovered and the majority of spending still unresolved. The explanations provided point to a persistent collapse in accountability by management, leaving the city and its residents exposed while irregular expenditure and fruitless and wasteful spending continue unchecked. DA Caucus Leader Thabani Mthethwa says these findings and the continued absence of consequences for accounting officers further demonstrate that eThekwini Municipality is being run into the ground.
Adams Mission: Four suspects who were wanted for various serious and violent crimes were shot and killed in a shootout with police at Adams Mission in the KwaMakhutha policing area, south of Durban, on Thursday afternoon. Police were on an intelligence-driven operation when they spotted the vehicle matching the description of the one which the suspects were using to terrorize the community of Umbumbulu and other areas by committing armed robberies, house robberies, carjackings and kidnappings.
Pietermaritzburg: The Pietermaritzburg Regional Court dismissed an application for leave to appeal brought by convicted fraudster Juan Maritz on 28 January 2026. The application for leave to appeal brought by Maritz related to the 15-year imprisonment sentence which the court handed down in September 2025. Maritz was convicted of eight counts of Value Added Tax fraud amounting to approximately R3.6-million in February last year. The evidence was that Maritz was the sole owner of an entity named Jed-Con Construction Maintenance. He was also the sole signatory of the bank account held by Jed-Con. Jed-Con was an entity registered with the Companies and Intellectual Property Commission and was also registered with the South African Revenue Service for VAT. Between the tax period of 2008 and 2015, Maritz filed nil VAT returns to SARS even though Jed-Con had traded throughout this period. Following an audit, it was established that SARS was cheated out of approximately R3.6-million. Maritz, who began serving his sentence in September last year, will remain in custody and serve out his sentence.
Pictured above: DA Cactus leader in the City of eThekwini Thabani Mthethwa says that they need accountability on the R4.3-billion incurred by the City.
Image source: KZNDA
