Durban — The DA has intensified its criticisms of the ANC-led Msunduzi Local Municipality, demanding urgent financial intervention as debt levels soar to a staggering R7 billion.
Leading this campaign is DA caucus leader in the council, Councillor Ross Strachan, who has called on the MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Reverend Thulasizwe Buthelezi, to implement Section 139 (5) of the South African Constitution, which allows for the provincial government to intervene in municipalities facing financial challenges.
With the municipality under the leadership of ANC’s Mzimkhulu Thebolla, the DA argues that it is time for the National Treasury to evaluate and potentially take over its fiscal management, citing that prior attempts to remedy the financial crisis have fallen short.
“Msunduzi is now a staggering R7 billion in debt, demanding immediate intervention from the National Treasury,” said Strachan.
He painted a bleak state of the municipality's finances.
Strachan condemned what he describes as a “consistent failure” in the municipality’s billing system, claiming that the debtors' book is unrealistic and that billing practices remain irregular and inconsistent.
This comes in light of the municipality's latest Amnesty Campaign, which offered to reduce 50% of outstanding customer debt – an initiative that, according to Strachan, has benefited those who are allegedly electricity thieves, including both businesses and residential customers.
“All other interventions to date have not worked,” he said.
In making his case for a full National Treasury’s intervention, Strachan called for the Msunduzi to fill the critical vacant positions within the municipality's finance, billing, revenue, and collections departments.
“The municipality must be placed under National Treasury intervention so that enforcement and collection can be properly capacitated,” he remarked.
He added: “A recovery operation must begin. Now is not the time to lessen intervention; it is time for full-scale National Treasury intervention until the finances are completely sorted out.”
Msunduzi Municipality's spokesperson, Ntobeko Mkhize, said the municipality will issue an official press statement.
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