Pretoria – KwaZulu-Natal Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs MEC Nomusa Dube-Ncube has urged the community of Mtubatuba to support the departmental intervention in the municipality and prepare to elect a new council.
MEC Dube-Ncube said the department is satisfied with the progress recorded in Mtubatuba Local Municipality since its dissolution by the provincial cabinet last month.
She assured residents in the municipality that the by-elections to elect a new council will take place in May as scheduled.
“We are generally satisfied with the progress made by our designated team at Mtubatuba and we hope to hand over this municipality to a newly elected council in a much better shape administratively and financially than we found it when we took the decision to dissolve the previous council and relieve its councillors of their duties,” said MEC Dube-Ncube.
The MEC noted that the department is working hard to restore order at Mtubatuba however they recognise that their role in the municipality is temporary.
“We are paving the way for a new democratically elected council which will take over from us within the three-month time limit since the dissolution as per the relevant local government legislation,” said MEC Dube-Ncube.
The provincial department, which will liaise with the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) to ensure free and fair by-elections at Mtubatuba, urged the residents to also support and prepare for both the IEC’s voter registration drive and the by-elections themselves, which will proceed as planned.
MEC Dube-Ncube emphasised that the department views dissolution of municipalities as a last resort when all other interventions to restore stability fail.
“This was the case at Mtubatuba where political instability frustrated all efforts on the part of the provincial government to return the municipality on a path to growth, sustainability and prosperity.” – SAnews.gov.za
