THE already strained relationship between eThekwini Mayor Cyril Xaba and KZN Public Works MEC Martin Meyer has plunged deeper into open conflict, with both leaders accusing each other of political gamesmanship and legal violations.

At the centre of the fallout is a more than R500m owed to the eThekwini Municipality in property rates by the KZN Department of Public Works and Infrastructure, a debt that the department has formally acknowledged. In a statement released by Xaba, he accused the DA, where Meyer is member, of keeping silent “while its own deployee in government is delaying to settle municipal debt” and opting to take the City to court over sewer infrastructure.

Accusing the DA of speaking “from both sides of the mouth”, Xaba said: “At this moment, DA executive committee members in eThekwini are running a misinformation campaign regarding beach water quality results, which are conducted by credible scientists, yet their silence is deafening regarding the money owed to the City by the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure.”

He accused the DA of political grandstanding, saying that the City is making every effort to recover all monies owed by residents, businesses, and State entities by enforcing credit control through disconnections and referring debtors to collectors. As of late, the eThekwini Municipality has been turning off the lights and cutting water supply at government buildings owing money to the City.

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He accused the DA of contributing to the very service delivery problems it frequently criticises. “I trust that the DA EXCO members in the City will work with me to persuade the Department of Public Works to pay the outstanding debt as a matter of urgency,” said Xaba.

Following the public utterance by Xaba, Meyer responded with his own statement, accusing eThekwini of irrational, unconstitutional and politically motivated conduct, particularly after the municipality disconnected water and electricity to a Public Works regional office.

According to the MEC, the targeted building is “fully paid-up with regard to rates,” and the disconnection disrupted essential operations across multiple government departments. He argued that eThekwini was violating the Municipal Systems Act, the Municipal Finance Management Act and the Constitution by using credit control as a “political weapon,” applying it to the wrong debtor, and failing to prioritise essential services.

Meyer also said his department is dealing with a historic, province-wide underfunding of municipal rates, affecting more than 10 000 properties, and is addressing the issue through payment plans, valuation roll clean-ups, disposals of redundant properties and revenue-raising measures.

Meyer revealed that on November 28 the province had declared an Intergovernmental Dispute, accusing eThekwini of ignoring the mandatory dispute-resolution process. He claims to have personally attempted to contact the Mayor, Municipal Manager and CFO “more than 30 times” to propose a payment plan, without success.

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“This conduct is irrational, potentially unconstitutional, and not aligned with lawful credit control. Credit control must be fairly applied and not used as a political weapon,” said Meyer.

“The municipality and its leadership are duty-bound to exercise State power rationally, lawfully, and in the public interest. The mayor’s statement does not reflect these principles … Cutting public services while refusing to accept payment plans and doing so in a manner that deliberately disrupts government operations to make a political point. We remain committed to paying what is due,” added Meyer.

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