Tension rises between Cogta, uMkhanyakude Municipality after court ruling

THE tension between the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) and the uMkhanyakude Municipality in northern KZN is worsening, with the municipality accusing MEC Thulasizwe Buthelezi of misleading the public.

- THAMI MAGUBANE

In a statement, the municipality further accused Buthelezi of being on a crusade to undermine ANC-run municipalities in the province.

This accusation stems from an order handed down by the Pietermaritzburg High Court on Friday. The South African Municipal Workers Union had taken the municipality and other defendants to court after workers’ salaries were not paid due to a standoff between Cogta and the municipality over the decision to appoint an administrator.

The standoff triggered a freezing of the municipality’s bank account, and the administrator has also been blocked from accessing the municipality's offices. The municipality was named in the case as the first respondent, MEC Buthelezi as the second, the provincial government as the third, and administrator Bamba Ndwandwe as the fourth. Absa Bank appears as the fifth respondent.

In the order, the court addressed the issue of salaries and ordered that the first respondent (municipality) and the fourth respondent (Ndwandwe) work together to ensure that the wages of the workers are paid and that payments are made on time.