The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Zululand welcomes the call by KZN Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA) MEC, Sipho Hlomuka to investigate alleged maladministration, fraud and corruption in the Zululand District Municipality.
This comes after we communicated our concern with COGTA and voted against the removal of former Municipal Manager Sipho Nkosi.
Nkosi was fired by Mayor Thulasizwe Buthelezi for not paying municipal staff salaries on time. We argued that during that time he was on sick leave, approved by the Mayor. He was not only on sick leave he was also consulting with his lawyer after receiving a letter of possible suspension from the Mayor.
The letter gave him seven days to respond, the suspension was for failing to pay a contractor which should have been paid even before Nkosi was sworn in as Municipal Manager.
We voted against his removal and distanced ourselves from it on the basis that he did not do anything unlawful.
Shortly after Nkosi was fired Corporate Services Head of Department, Mpumelelo Manqele took to the position of Acting Municipal Manager without any consultation.
Things quickly turned for the worse in the municipality under the watch of the Acting Municipal Manager. It is for this reason that the DA welcomes the investigation and ask that Mayor Buthelezi and Acting Municipal Manager Mpumelelo Manqele be put on special leave while the investigation is being conducted to avoid them interfering with the process.
The DA remains the only party dedicated to rooting out corruption and ensuring service delivery to all residents.