Durban - OPPOSITION parties in the eThekwini Municipality are outraged at the delay of the implementation of the section 154 intervention that aims to bring in experts to improve the metro’s performance.
The City’s communication unit announced on Friday that the council meeting where the intervention was to be tabled had been postponed. This has delayed the introduction of the intervention action.
Some councillors said the procedure had not been followed in implementing the intervention. They said the MEC of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta), Bongi Sithole-Moloi, should have first briefed the executive committee about the action and then full council.
“The eThekwini Municipality’s urgent council meeting that was convened to introduce the Section 154 intervention was postponed. The council resolved that the MEC must first engage the executive committee on the modalities of the intervention,” said the statement. It was not immediately clear when this engagement would take place.
Cogta said the MEC had been made aware of outstanding procedures in eThekwini. “The MEC is currently engaging with all relevant stakeholders, including the leadership of eThekwini, to address these issues. Once all necessary processes have been completed, an announcement will be made.”
The intervention was announced a few weeks ago amid concerns including that the City faces general decay and infrastructure challenges, and has failed to spend R322 million it received in grant funding. The provincial Cogta announced that experts would be sent to the City.
African Democratic Change (Adec) councillor Visvin Reddy said the delay was unacceptable. “The intervention is much needed. It is evident that officials in eThekwini are highly compromised and many are caught up in the battles taking place within the ANC.”
He added that residents were frustrated and were being fleeced to pay for incompetence and corruption while investors were leaving the City and Durban no longer attracted tourists as it used to.
DA councillor Mzamo Billy said: “Efforts to block the MEC from speaking became clear when mayor Mxolisi Kaunda called Exco members to an informal meeting just before the MEC came on stage. ANC Exco member Nkosenhle Madlala insisted that the MEC should first present her report to Exco before addressing the council,” said Billy.
He added that upon the DA asking the Speaker to seek a legal opinion on this assertion, it became apparent that there was no legal basis that obligated the MEC to first address Exco and then council.
“The council is the highest decision-making body and if the Speaker has followed all due processes in convening the meeting for the MEC, the meeting should have proceeded.”
Democratic Liberal Congress leader Patrick Pillay said it was unfortunate for the section 154 intervention to be further delayed, however it was also critical that proper procedures were followed.
Mlondi Mkhize, the ANC spokesperson for the eThekwini region, said they had not been briefed on the delay.
“What we were briefed on was that there would be an intervention and all that remains is the implementation; speaking on the delay would be speculating and we do not want to speculate.”