KwaZulu-Natal’s MEC for Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) Reverend Thulasizwe Buthelezi, has hit back at African National Congress's provincial structures after they accused him of being a risk to the stability and viability of the Government of Provincial Unity (GPU).
Responding to allegations levelled against him, Buthelezi said the days of Mtolo ANC provincial secretary Bheki Mtolo) “barking orders to MECs and heads of departments in the province” were over.
“The ANC in KZN lost power on May 29. The presence of the GPU must not give Mtolo the illusion that the ANC is still in power in KZN,” he said.
Earlier this week, ANC provincial secretary, Bheki Mtolo, accused Buthelezi of trying to create a ‘fiefdom’.
“We condemn the weaponisation of Cogta for what is clearly a campaign to turn municipalities into a fiefdom of a dominant grouping that is operating like a criminal syndicate,” Mtolo said.
“We view the removal, replacement and appointment of administrators, municipal managers and chief financial officers by MEC Thulasizwe Buthelezi without following due processes as reckless and illegal.
“In particular, the MEC has no authority to appoint an acting municipal manager and Acting Financial Officer in the Nongoma Local Municipality,” he added.
Mtolo said the ANC had been informed that the motive is to ensure that procurement processes are manipulated and that municipal resources are diverted for the benefit of a criminal syndicate.
“It is a well-known fact that the lack of accountability and maladministration are the main causes of severe deterioration in good governance in many municipalities. Unfortunately, MEC Buthelezi is now introducing a new culture wherein, Cogta becomes the perpetrator of maladministration,” he said.
He said despite convening a meeting with Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) officials, Buthelezi is forging ahead with appointments.
“The MEC cannot be law unto himself. He now operates like an excited untrained gun holder that shoots randomly in a crowd. Since assuming his new responsibilities, MEC Buthelezi has elevated himself above the leadership collective within the PGU.
“We want to remind him that no party in the GPU was able to obtain an outright majority. Therefore, he should not act as if he is the Alpha and Omega of the PGU.
“As the ANC, we must hasten to point out that the leadership collective, within GPU must work together to sustain bubbling feeling of optimism about a better future under the GPU,” Mtolo said.
He said in order for the coalition government to fulfil the aspirations of the people of this province, across all political lines, leaders deployed in government must work co-operatively, consult with each other – be transparent and show a high level mutual respect.
Responding to Mtolo’s remarks, Buthelezi says he has served at the pleasure of the KZN Premier since taking over the office.
“I have been startled by the evidence of corruption and maladministration that was the order of the day in the KZN Cogta department in the 6th administration. A forensic investigation into procurement and employment violations between January 2023 and May 2024 would most likely lead to criminal charges being laid against senior ANC leaders in the province.
“If I were Mr Mtolo, I would keep quiet, since the information at my disposal implicates even himself in the saga of the resignation of the former HOD and his subsequent unlawful secondment to the national government,” Buthelezi said.
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