Cogta MEC Rev Thulasizwe Buthelezi has defended CoGTA’s opposition to uMkhanyakude’s R14.6 million tanker purchase, saying the municipality should not incur debt and should instead reprioritise its budget.
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The African National Congress (ANC) in KwaZulu-Natal has called for the removal of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) MEC Thulasizwe Buthelezi, accusing him of using his position to target ANC-led municipalities.
The call follows a growing dispute over uMkhanyakude District Municipality’s proposed R14.6 million purchase of five specialised water tankers through a 36-month instalment agreement.
Buthelezi has opposed the transaction, arguing that the municipality should not take on additional debt to acquire the vehicles when the provincial government has already deployed five water tankers to assist communities in the district.
Buthelezi described the proposed expenditure as financially irresponsible and said it had dispatched tankers to Jozini, Big Five Hlabisa, uMhlabuyalingana and Mtubatuba to help address water shortages.
The ANC, however, has defended the purchase, arguing that uMkhanyakude’s decision to acquire a permanent fleet was lawful and would strengthen the municipality’s long-term ability to provide water.
ANC KZN provincial spokesperson Sifiso Sonjica accused Buthelezi of turning the Cogta portfolio into an instrument of political conflict and said the party viewed his tenure with “unreserved contempt”.
The ANC accused the MEC of “partisan sabotage, administrative tyranny, and brazen hypocrisy”, claiming that his actions were undermining service delivery in ANC-led municipalities.
The party said uMkhanyakude’s decision to acquire a permanent fleet of water tankers was made through the National Treasury Transversal System and would strengthen the municipality’s long-term capacity to provide water.
It contrasted this with the provincial government’s use of temporary water tankers in IFP-led municipalities, including Jozini, uMhlabuyalingana and Big Five Hlabisa.
The ANC also questioned the treatment of King Cetshwayo District Municipality, which it said had acquired water tankers, as well as uMzinyathi District Municipality, which is expected to issue a fleet procurement tender in September.
“Asset ownership cannot be lauded as prudent governance when executed by an IFP mayor, yet villainised when undertaken by an ANC administration,” Sonjica said.
The party said it believed the contrasting approaches showed that Buthelezi was applying different standards to municipalities depending on which party governed them.
ANC raises uMdoni concerns
The ANC also criticised Buthelezi over the secondment of Prince Nhlakanipho Zulu to uMdoni Local Municipality.
The party said the secondment was made despite the municipal council’s rejection of Zulu and raised concerns about his record and existing judicial pronouncements.
The ANC further alleged that Zulu later forced entry into the Municipal Manager’s office in an attempt to take control of the administration.
It described the matter as further evidence of what it called executive overreach by the provincial department.
The ANC said the disputes at uMkhanyakude and uMdoni formed part of what it regarded as a broader pattern in Buthelezi’s management of local government.
It called on Premier Thami Ntuli to remove Buthelezi from Cogta, saying his continued presence was damaging the Government of Provincial Unity’s service delivery agenda.
“The residents of KwaZulu-Natal can no longer remain hostage to an executive operator who wilfully sacrifices human dignity on the altar of partisan vanity,” Sonjica said.
The party described Buthelezi’s continued presence in the department as “an unmitigated liability” and called for decisive action from Ntuli.
Buthelezi defends tanker decision
Buthelezi has rejected the ANC’s characterisation of the dispute and defended the provincial government’s opposition to the uMkhanyakude purchase.
In an interview with SABC, he said the municipality had not budgeted for the acquisition and would have to borrow money to fund it.
He said Cogtas concern was not with municipalities owning their own water tankers, but with uMkhanyakude taking on debt to finance the purchase.
“What is alarming to us as Cogta, as the department that monitors the financial happenings in all municipalities, is that it's not even the second month of the financial year, and already Mkhanyakude district municipality is going to borrow money to fund this acquisition,” Buthelezi said.
He said municipalities that had budgeted for their own fleets were following the correct procedure.
“So we do applaud municipalities that acquire their own fleet, but what we do not agree with is to burden taxpayers with long-term debts, which are unsustainable and which Mkhanyakude cannot afford,” he said.
Buthelezi said the provincial government had already deployed five water tankers to assist communities in uMkhanyakude and surrounding municipalities.
“We have already deployed water tankers to Big Five Hlabisa, to Mtubatuba, to Jozini, uMhlabuyalingana and all other areas of Mkhanyakude, precisely because we could see the crisis that they were facing,” he said.
He said the provincial government was covering the day-to-day operational costs of the tankers, including diesel and drivers.
Buthelezi also questioned why uMkhanyakude had only moved to acquire its own fleet towards the end of its term.
“It's unfortunate that Mkhanyakude has only decided to do this after five years of being in office,” he said.
He urged the municipality to work with the provincial government and reprioritise its budget rather than take on additional debt.
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