MAYOR FIRED
STORY: Dirk Rezelman
Mayor ME Mthethwa
Lack of financial control and leadership
A Stunned Special Council meeting of the Mfolozi Municipality on Thursday saw stalwart Mayor ME Mthethwa being relieved of his duties by the IFP. In a letter written to Mthethwa by the Acting Chairperson of the Provincial Oversight Committee (POC), MA Mncwango (MP), Mthethwa was instructed to resign as mayor within ‘seven days from the date of this letter (12/02)’. The letter reads in part that the ‘National Executive Council has decided to withdraw you as Mayor of Mbonambi Municipality with immediate effect. ‘This is in keeping with the Party decision to assess and replace the leadership of those IFP-controlled municipalities that continuously receive disclaimer opinions from the Auditor General (AG). ‘Mfolozi has for three years running (2006/7, 2007/8, and 2008/9) received such disclaimers. A disclaimer is where the AG experiences such limitations of scope on his work that he cannot express an opinion on the fair presentation of the financial statements. The letter continues that the Deputy Mayor, Cllr TM Biyela, will act as mayor until a new mayor has been appointed. Responding in writing, Mthethwa said that while he respected the IFP’s decision and steps down as mayor as instructed, he could not agree with the basic reasons for the decision to sack him. He vowed to continue to work for the benefit of the Mfolozi community in ‘whatever capacity the IFP party would see fit’ to deploy him. He explained to the Council that 18 other KZN local authorities, including IFP-controlled municipalities, experienced similar problems with the AG, but no other mayors were instructed to resign. He has taken up the matter with the IFP President, Dr Mangosuthu Buthelezi, but did not feel free to discuss this. Cllr BT Mnqayi (ANC) said that he couldn’t comment on the resignation instruction of the IFP. The fact that the AG had for three years running issued disclaimers was, according to him, a serious reflection on not only the local Council’s leadership, but also on its administration.
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