Opposition parties not impressed with new Endumeni Mayor tipped to take office on Thursday
Endumeni residents are waiting expectantly for the new mayor to be announced this week following Mayor Ndlovu quitting.
A new mayor will be elected on Thursday following Mayor Siyabonga Ndlovu’s resignation. However, opposition parties are not impressed with whom they believe will be the new incumbent from the IFP.
Cllr Mbulelo Phakathi of the ABC and the ANC’s Cllr Siphamandla Kheswa said in a joint statement that ‘the IFP and its partner the DA will field a Mayoral candidate with ‘zero Council experience’ who will be ‘a weak candidate pliable to manipulation and who would be micro-managed externally by officials who are completely protected by the IFP’.
They said it comes ‘as no surprise that embattled former mayor, Ndlovu was forced by his party, the IFP following multiple allegations of incompetence, misconduct and allegations of fraudulent subsistence and travelling claims.
“Ndlovu was over his head and it is thanks to the DA that he lasted as long as he did. Strangely, The IFP eventually axed him because he had dared to attempt to institute disciplinary proceedings against two senior officials for serious allegations of misconduct.
“The allegations included irregular appointments of staff, appointment of service providers in violation of the Municipality’s SCM policy and relevant treasury regulations, serious criminal allegations against them which they committed in the course of their duties, thus abusing their powers, crimen injuria, fraud and corruption, sexual harassment and more.”
The statement alleged getting rid of Ndlovu was a way ‘of shielding these (IFP) connected officials’.
“Since he (Ndlovu) took the mayoral chain the municipal debt to Eskom ballooned from R34-milion to around R200-million. A clear plan to service the debt was ignored. The municipality has a cash coverage ratio of 0.14 which is way below the National Treasury’s norm of between one and three months. Effectively, Endumeni has less than one month’s cash to meet immediate obligations. This compromises its ability to pay creditors, salaries, pensions, medical aids etc.”
“It is high time that the culture of active citizenship be revived and the rate-payers of Endumeni take charge of their destiny by holding the FP and the DA accountable. We urge the community to attend the council meeting in which the new Mayor is set to be elected, whose date we will communicate, to witness for themselves which political parties are on their side and, which ones are on a path of destruction by electing an unqualified Mayor who is clearly unsuitable.
“The ANC and the ABC will vote against the IFP/DA candidate for Mayor and, history will judge those who will take part in the destruction of Endumeni Municipality.”
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