Pietermaritzburg – The Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs in KwaZulu-Natal has once again been vindicated by the Pietermaritzburg High Court, confirming that our interventions in Nongoma Local Municipality were fully in line with the law.
In Wednesday ruling, the Pietermaritzburg High Court granted an order in favor of the MEC for KwaZulu-Natal Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, interdicting the former speaker of Nongoma Municipality, Cllr Bhekinkosi Zulu, from holding himself out as the speaker.
This order has officially recognized the newly elected Cllr B. H. Sithole as the legitimate speaker of the municipality. Furthermore, the court has declared the Notice of Council Meeting issued by the former speaker, Cllr Zulu, for 29 June 2023, to be unlawful and has set it aside. Consequently, the court has prohibited the scheduled Council Meeting from taking place. Additionally, the court has ordered the municipal manager and other officials to refrain from any actions that could interfere with the speaker’s duties.
We have consistently emphasised that our department’s role is to ensure municipalities operate within the bounds of the law. It is disheartening that certain political parties, particularly the IFP, persist in resorting to legal proceedings, which only serve to delay the delivery of essential services to our communities.
We sincerely hope that all councillors in Nongoma Municipality will now focus on the crucial task of delivering the much-needed services to our communities. We reaffirm our unwavering commitment to performing our duties with utmost diligence and integrity. Above all, we will continue to operate in full compliance with legal regulations.
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Issued by: MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Bongiwe Sithole-Moloi