The Democratic Alliance (DA) in uThukela District today calls on the KwaZulu-Natal Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA) MEC, Rev. Thulasizwe Buthelezi, to reconsider his recent decision to terminate the provincial intervention under Section 139(1)(b) of the Constitution.
The DA believes that CoGTA should provide ongoing support under Section 154, to safeguard the municipality’s stability. (Section 154 states that national and provincial governments must help municipalities by giving them the support they need to run properly and deliver services)
While some progress has been made under the recent intervention, we fear that lifting this oversight prematurely will undo incremental gains and plunge the municipality further into dysfunction and service delivery failures that the IFP has failed to halt since coming into office in 2021.
The mayor’s request to rescind the intervention, dated 10 July 2025, paints an overly optimistic picture of improvements in areas such as service delivery, infrastructure maintenance, labour disputes, and financial management. However, these claims appear overstated, as evidenced by the mayor’s own letter to the Premier, which acknowledges ongoing challenges.
The abrupt end to the intervention risks reversing hard-won advancements achieved through external support and accountability measures.
Our concerns are heightened by the persistent issue of municipal capture and corruption, which the IFP-led administration has failed to eradicate. A glaring example is the council’s resolution on 30 March 2025 to implement recommendations from a Section 106 investigation report by the provincial Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (KZN CoGTA). This included blacklisting a contractor for irregularities.
Despite the council’s clear directive, the Municipal Manager unilaterally suspended implementation on 14 August 2025 without informing or consulting the council, citing a pending court review. This decision bypasses democratic processes and raises serious questions about accountability and potential undue influence.
As the DA, we urge immediate action to address these lingering challenges, including a full investigation into the MM’s unilateral decision and stronger measures to enforce council resolutions. We remain committed to fighting for the people of uThukela and holding those in power accountable.