ANC lashed for Msunduzi kid gloves
11 March 2010, 13:25
By Bheki Mbanjwa
Main opposition parties in KwaZulu-Natal have lambasted the ANC-run provincial administration for its reluctance to fully intervene in the running of the struggling Msunduzi municipality.
The two parties, the IFP and the DA, were reacting after the MEC for Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Nomusa Dube, announced that the provincial government would only intervene in terms of sections 136, 137 and 138 of the constitution at the council, which is beset with financial problems and political infighting that has threatened to render the municipality non-functional.
Last month it emerged that the municipality was nearing a state of bankruptcy, having been left with only enough funds to see it through a few weeks.
Soon afterwards a three-person task team was appointed to intervene by assisting with some critical functions at the municipality, but opposition parties feel that this approach has also failed.
Both the DA and the IFP have been calling for an intervention in terms of the tougher section 139(b), which allows for the provincial government to take over the running of any municipality deemed to be in such distress that it cannot successfully discharge its duties as required by the constitution.
The IFP said yesterday that the perceived gentle intervention in Msunduzi by the provincial government laid bare the double standards used by the government when dealing with different municipalities.
The IFP, citing the Umhlabuyalingana, Indaka and Ukhahlamba municipalities as examples, said the government had been harsher on IFP-run municipalities, while those that were ANC-run had been treated with kid gloves.
"The MEC for co-operative governance intervened in these municipalities while she faced an identical crisis at Msunduzi that she chose to shrug off with the dispatch of a ministerial task team," said IFP MPL Roman Liptak.
"We condemn these blatant double standards. We call for an immediate intervention in the Msunduzi council in terms of section 139(b) of the constitution to restore financial liquidity to this municipality."
The IFP said that IFP-run municipalities had long been subjectively targeted by the ANC-run provincial government. It traced this alleged practice to 2005 when the IFP-run Abaqulusi council in northern KZN was dissolved and an administrator was appointed by the then MEC for local government, Mike Mabuyakhulu.
DA MPL George Mari also lambasted Dube's approach, saying that invoking sections 136 to 138 of the constitution meant that the provincial government would now engage in a consultative process with the municipality.
"We strongly feel that this is not enough because the warning bells at the municipality started ringing about two years ago, and nothing was done," Mari said.
"Frankly, the time for consultation is now over and we would have liked to see the MEC taking over the running of the municipality and appointing an administrator, as was done with other municipalities like Indaka."
Also worrisome for the DA was the failure by the municipality and the MEC to make public the findings of what was believed to be a damning forensic audit report into the affairs of the municipality.
The forensic investigation was conducted more than a year ago, but has not been made public in what opposition parties believe is an attempt by the ANC to protect its own councillors who might be implicated in acts of corruption.
The DA accused Dube of failing the citizens of Msunduzi by opting for what it called a "softer and weak-kneed" intervention.
"The MEC's consistent failure to act in a prompt and decisive manner over Msunduzi indicates that the ANC will stop at nothing in the pursuit of cadre deployment and protecting ANC municipalities, even while the city is burning around them."
Msunduzi is one of many municipalities in the province that are struggling financially.
The First Quarter Review for the 2009/2010 municipal year reveals that "a number of municipalities failed to report on critical aspects of their budgets".
"Not only do these municipalities deprive themselves of an opportunity to be assisted, but by failing to submit information they also distort the overall picture of municipal finances," Finance MEC Ina Cronje said yesterday.
She said that the improvement of data quality remained a priority to ease municipal budgetary woes.
"Unless financial management and fiscal governance in municipalities is improved, they cannot improve service delivery and spearhead development."
Main opposition parties in KwaZulu-Natal have lambasted the ANC-run provincial administration for its reluctance to fully intervene in the running of the struggling Msunduzi municipality.
The two parties, the IFP and the DA, were reacting after the MEC for Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Nomusa Dube, announced that the provincial government would only intervene in terms of sections 136, 137 and 138 of the constitution at the council, which is beset with financial problems and political infighting that has threatened to render the municipality non-functional.
Last month it emerged that the municipality was nearing a state of bankruptcy, having been left with only enough funds to see it through a few weeks.
Soon afterwards a three-person task team was appointed to intervene by assisting with some critical functions at the municipality, but opposition parties feel that this approach has also failed.
Both the DA and the IFP have been calling for an intervention in terms of the tougher section 139(b), which allows for the provincial government to take over the running of any municipality deemed to be in such distress that it cannot successfully discharge its duties as required by the constitution.
The IFP said yesterday that the perceived gentle intervention in Msunduzi by the provincial government laid bare the double standards used by the government when dealing with different municipalities.
The IFP, citing the Umhlabuyalingana, Indaka and Ukhahlamba municipalities as examples, said the government had been harsher on IFP-run municipalities, while those that were ANC-run had been treated with kid gloves.
"The MEC for co-operative governance intervened in these municipalities while she faced an identical crisis at Msunduzi that she chose to shrug off with the dispatch of a ministerial task team," said IFP MPL Roman Liptak.
"We condemn these blatant double standards. We call for an immediate intervention in the Msunduzi council in terms of section 139(b) of the constitution to restore financial liquidity to this municipality."
The IFP said that IFP-run municipalities had long been subjectively targeted by the ANC-run provincial government. It traced this alleged practice to 2005 when the IFP-run Abaqulusi council in northern KZN was dissolved and an administrator was appointed by the then MEC for local government, Mike Mabuyakhulu.
DA MPL George Mari also lambasted Dube's approach, saying that invoking sections 136 to 138 of the constitution meant that the provincial government would now engage in a consultative process with the municipality.
"We strongly feel that this is not enough because the warning bells at the municipality started ringing about two years ago, and nothing was done," Mari said.
"Frankly, the time for consultation is now over and we would have liked to see the MEC taking over the running of the municipality and appointing an administrator, as was done with other municipalities like Indaka."
Also worrisome for the DA was the failure by the municipality and the MEC to make public the findings of what was believed to be a damning forensic audit report into the affairs of the municipality.
The forensic investigation was conducted more than a year ago, but has not been made public in what opposition parties believe is an attempt by the ANC to protect its own councillors who might be implicated in acts of corruption.
The DA accused Dube of failing the citizens of Msunduzi by opting for what it called a "softer and weak-kneed" intervention.
"The MEC's consistent failure to act in a prompt and decisive manner over Msunduzi indicates that the ANC will stop at nothing in the pursuit of cadre deployment and protecting ANC municipalities, even while the city is burning around them."
Msunduzi is one of many municipalities in the province that are struggling financially.
The First Quarter Review for the 2009/2010 municipal year reveals that "a number of municipalities failed to report on critical aspects of their budgets".
"Not only do these municipalities deprive themselves of an opportunity to be assisted, but by failing to submit information they also distort the overall picture of municipal finances," Finance MEC Ina Cronje said yesterday.
She said that the improvement of data quality remained a priority to ease municipal budgetary woes.
"Unless financial management and fiscal governance in municipalities is improved, they cannot improve service delivery and spearhead development."
- This article was originally published on page 5 of The Daily News on March 11, 2010
Pretoria
