KZN MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) Nomusa Dube-Ncube is considering dissolving the still-deadlocked Nquthu Council after the unanimous resolution of the KZN Legislature’s Cogta Portfolio Committee in which all political parties are urging the Provincial Government to escalate its intervention in the municipality. the dissolution of the municipality and the holding of by-elections.

Dissolution of the municipality and the holding of by-elections.

The Cogta Portfolio Committee comprising of all political parties in the Legislature took the decision unanimously following the department’s presentation before the committee to update members on its service delivery performance and the general overview of local government in the province.

After receiving a progress report on Nquthu, the Portfolio Committee commended the department and the MEC Dube-Ncube’ on their timeous intervention to prevent collapse and plundering of resources due to poor oversight as a result of the council’s failure to elect municipal office bearers on more than five occasions.’

“KZN Cogta should consider going a step further and implement section 139 (c) of the Constitution which provides for the dissolution of municipalities where other interventions have failed. We believe that this is the case at Nquthu where repeated attempts to convene the council to elect office bearers have failed,” said chair of the Cogta portfolio committee Nonzwakazi Swaartbooi-Ntombela.

“We appreciate the positive role KZN Cogta has played at Nquthu and the results their hard work has produced in this municipality but the responsibility for the failure to elect office bearers belongs to the political parties at Nquthu and it is now time they feel the consequences of their obstinacy and see their municipal council formally dissolved,” said Swaartbooi-Ntombela.

“We note the Portfolio Committee resolution and we will bring the view of the committee to the Provincial Executive which is responsible for the intervention. The situation at Nquthu is concerning because some councillors are doing their work whilst others are getting salaries while doing nothing and not attending to communities’ concerns. There are ongoing political squabbles and serial litigations that are preventing the council from being reconstituted,” said Cogta MEC Dube-Ncube.

Cogta will continue to ensure uninterrupted service delivery to the community of Nquthu whilst pondering over the drastic intervention recommended by the Portfolio Committee.