ABC gunning for Umzinyathi mayor with motion of no confidence

The fate of Umzinyathi district municipality mayor Thembisile Mchunu hangs in the balance after Abantu Batho Congress (ABC) filed a motion of no confidence against her.

ABC councillor Mfundo Masondo has asked speaker Tyson Kunene to convene a meeting on Tuesday where the motion will be tabled.

Masondo has accused Mchunu of shielding municipal manager Lihle Mkhwanazi who is implicated in a damning report on alleged corruption after a forensic investigation initiated by the municipal public accounts committee.

“The grounds for the request to deliberate the removal of Mchunu are based on her repeated violation of municipal processes and procedures,” said Masondo.

He said there were a number of breaches at a council meeting held on May 29.

Masondo said Mchunu attended the council meeting with the stated intention to deliberate an item she tabled regarding Mkhwanazi’s response to the intention to suspend letter. For the second time, the mayor had presented an item without the necessary documents.

Masondo said IFP councillors absconded when the issue of Mkhwanazi was to be discussed.

The KwaZulu-Natal municipality was recently forced to reverse a payment of R5.7m for water projects that were not undertaken.

According to a report compiled and tabled in the council by Garnet Ngubane and Partners Inc, the municipality entered into a relationship with a company called Bosch Projects in 2020.

The company was tasked with the compilation of an operation and maintenance plan for wastewater treatment facilities, as well as pump stations, a borehole and water schemes which include the Mbono Bulk Water Project in Msinga.

The forensic report details how Umzinyathi officials made irregular payments and failed to properly instruct lawyers to defend lawsuits by Bosch Projects and had to pay millions as a result of undefended lawsuits.

The municipality paid lawyers to defend the council.

The report recommended some officials be charged and others have their pensions withheld and money recouped.

It also recommended R5.7m paid to the company be recovered as soon as possible.

Former Umzinyathi mayor Petros Ngubane — under whose leadership the alleged corruption took place — said he was unaware of the developments as he was out of the province.

Repeated attempts during the past two weeks to get comment from Mchunu, Kunene and Mkhwanazi have been unsuccessful.

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