Endumeni Municipality is under renewed scrutiny following the release of a CoGTA-commissioned report revealing serious allegations of fraud, maladministration, and corruption. The probe, initiated by the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA) and conducted by a private auditing firm, was completed in April 2024but only presented to council behind closed doors on March 14, 2025,

The investigation centers on over R3.5 million in questionable payments made in 2023 for security services, mainly  benefiting former Mayor Siyabonga Ndlovu. Two senior officials face disciplinary recommendations for authorizing payments without valid contracts, while a third implicated official has since resigned.

The report highlights irregularities surrounding a cession agreement between two similarly named security firms and a misused Regulation 32 procurement process involving Newcastle Municipality. Payments were made before contracts were finalized, and internal oversight mechanisms were bypassed. One official, Zakhele Zulu, who laid a corruption charge at Dundee SAPS, was dismissed but when he appealed his firing, a hearing awarded R9 million after an appeal deemed his hearing unfair.

CoGTA has given Endumeni Council 21 days to submit an action plan, but no public response has yet been issued. ANC Councillor Spha Kheswa raised concerns over officials still in office, warning of possible cover-ups. The Endumeni Residents Association, ERA,  condemned the delay in releasing the report, calling the actions “fraudulent and well-planned.”

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