KwaZulu-Natal Premier Nomusa Dube-Ncube on Thursday said that three municipalities had been placed under financial administration.
The three were the Umzinyathi District, Uthukela District and Mpofana Municipality.
Dube-Ncube said that the executive council resolved to intervene with the trio in terms of section 139(5). “All three municipalities have been under intervention over a number of years but the financial situation in these municipalities has deteriorated. This despite extensive support and recommendations made by the province.”
Dube-Ncube added that the executive council confirmed that the municipalities met criteria for a mandatory financial intervention.
“The municipalities posted negative audit outcomes, adopted unfunded budgets, showed creditors above the norm of 2% of their operating budgets and had defaulted on payments to major creditors.
“The revised interventions grant the provincial executive greater authority to impose a financial recovery plan, which will be developed by the National Treasury’s financial recovery service.”
Dube-Ncube said that the intervention would run for a period of 15 months commencing in January and would be regularly reviewed.
“This action sends a strong message to all municipalities in the province to improve financial management and, consequently, service delivery as key priorities for local government in KwaZulu-Natal.”
Following the closure of a number of Durban beaches due to high E coli levels earlier this week, Dube-Ncube said 20 bathing beaches out of 23 were open and safe for swimming along the Durban Coastline.
“These in the main are the popular beaches, which are Durban Central beaches and the northern beaches up to Umdloti main. We also want to assure our visitors that regular testing of water occurs, more frequently now as we expect thousands of people on our beaches.”
She said that the trend of regular testing on the beaches would continue. “We will continue to update our visitors of any changes to the quality of water, immediately and timeously. But the trend that we have been observing is that the 20 beaches are safe for swimming.”
The IFP on Thursday said the ANC-led government was trying to destabilise IFP-led municipalities after two of its municipalities were placed under financial administration.
Umzinyathi and Uthukela are both led by the IFP and the Mpofana Municipality is led by the ANC.
Blessed Gwala, IFP chairperson in the province, said it was unfortunate that IFP-led municipalities were being targeted by the ANC government.
“I can’t understand how the eThekwini Municipality and Umgungundlovu, which have been performing so poorly financially for years, are not mentioned and are not placed under financial administration or action to be taken by the provincial cabinet.”
Gwala added that there have also been a number of IFP led municipalities that have received clean audits.
“We have received clean audits in uMhlathuze Municipality, King Cetshwayo District and uMlalazi Local Municipality but the premier did not mention this. I can also say to my knowledge not one of the ANC led municipalities received a clean audit.”
The Mercury