Sthembiso Mthembu has been tasked with implementing a recovery plan for the Impendle Local Municipality
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The KwaZulu-Natal Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA) has placed the Impendle Local Municipality under constitutional intervention in a move aimed at restoring governance, financial stability and accountability.
The intervention follows a resolution taken by the Provincial Executive Council last week to invoke Section 139(1)(b) of the Constitution after ongoing governance and financial management concerns were identified within the municipality.
According to COGTA, the municipality failed to meet several executive and statutory obligations, prompting the provincial government to step in. Among the concerns raised were the municipality’s inability to maintain a stable and functional council, including the failure to elect a mayor and sustain effective oversight structures.
The department also cited the municipality’s failure to appoint a suitably qualified acting chief financial officer during a prolonged vacancy period, as well as its inability to implement consequence management measures related to unauthorised, irregular, fruitless and wasteful expenditure.
Further concerns included allegations of fraud, corruption and maladministration, weak revenue collection systems, poor internal controls, and non-compliance with financial management legislation. The intervention also follows serious deficiencies highlighted in the Auditor-General’s 2024/2025 audit report.
MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Reverend Thulasizwe Buthelezi, has appointed Sthembiso Mthembu as the Ministerial Representative tasked with implementing a recovery plan on behalf of the Provincial Executive Council.
On Monday, Scelo Duma, head of department, met with the councillors of the municipality to formally inform the council of the intervention and to introduce Mthembu. The engagement was also attended by officials from the KZN Provincial Treasury and the South African Local Government Association (SALGA).
The municipal council reportedly welcomed the intervention, acknowledging that it was intended to improve the municipality’s overall functionality and strengthen service delivery to residents.
As part of the intervention, the Ministerial Representative will oversee several critical functions aimed at stabilising the municipality. These include establishing and chairing an Interim Finance Committee, acting as a compulsory signatory on municipal bank accounts, and implementing stronger financial controls and cost-containment measures.
Mthembu will also oversee the implementation of remedial actions stemming from Auditor-General findings, strengthen governance and oversight systems, monitor conditional grants and municipal projects, and ensure the finalisation of reports related to unauthorised and irregular expenditure.
In addition, the intervention will include disciplinary processes and the implementation of findings from investigations into alleged fraud, corruption and maladministration.
COGTA confirmed that, in line with constitutional requirements, formal notice of the intervention has been submitted to the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) and the Minister of Cooperative Governance.