KZN municipality still without mayor after four months

King Cetshwayo district municipality, which includes Richards Bay and Nkandla, is still without a mayor — four months after its previous one, Thami Ntuli, was promoted to the position of premier of KwaZulu-Natal.

Insiders say Ntuli — who is also the KZN chair of the majority party in the council, the IFP — has been delaying the election of his successor to make it possible for him to return to the position in case his coalition government collapses.

In contrast, the council of Zululand district municipality — where department of co-operative governance and traditional affairs (Cogta) MEC Thulasiwe Buthelezi was mayor — elected his successor 10 days after he vacated office.

King Cetshwayo municipality spokesperson Thami Mbatha said electing the mayor was a political decision administrators had no control over.

“Following the resignation of our former mayor, who is now the premier of KwaZulu-Natal, King Cetshwayo council resolved to appoint deputy mayor Sikhumbuzo Dlamini to act in the position of district mayor until the party advises on a permanent deployment. 

“This is a political decision we have no control over. However, I must stress there is no gap in service delivery and all municipal activities are running at optimal pace,” Mbatha said.

But Ntuli said while he was chair of the party in KwaZulu-Natal, he had no say in the matter. 

“Governance of the King Cetshwayo district municipality is carried out by its elected council, in which multiple political parties are represented. It would therefore not be appropriate for the premier to comment in his capacity as IFP KwaZulu-Natal chair on internal council matters such as the filling of the mayoral vacancy,” Ntuli explained. 

The district is the seat of local councils such as the cities of uMhlathuze, uMlalazi, uMfolozi, Mthonjaneni and Nkandla. It is also the second-biggest economy in KwaZulu-Natal and was previously governed by the ANC. However, the IFP took it over after winning it in the 2021 municipal elections.

KwaZulu-Natal’s Cogta — led by Buthelezi — said there were no concerns about King Cetshwayo municipality. 

“There is no crisis at King Cetshwayo — the deputy mayor is performing all the functions of the mayor as prescribed by law,” said a Cogta spokesperson. 

Buthelezi is another former KwaZulu-Natal district mayor of Zululand who was promoted to the provincial government when his party joined forces with the ANC, the DA and the NFP to form the government of provincial unity (GPU). 

However, it took the IFP 10 days to deploy Buthelezi’s replacement in Zululand — the IFP’s Michael Khumalo. 

Ntuli has been accused of playing a key role in keeping the mayoral seat vacant. Sources from King Cetshwayo who spoke to the Sunday Times claimed that “they have no mayor because Ntuli is not sure how long the GPU will go on, and he would rather keep that position vacant in case something goes wrong, so that he has the position to go back to”.

However, Ntuli rubbished these claims.

“Regarding allegations Premier Ntuli prefers the mayoral seat vacant as a fallback option, we categorically state that there is no basis to such claims. Premier Ntuli remains fully committed to serving the people of KwaZulu-Natal in his current role — leading the provincial government. His focus is on delivering services and fulfilling his responsibilities in the best interests of the province,” said Ntuli’s spokesperson, Bongani Gina. 

King Cetshwayo district municipality was an independent entity governed by its council, which comprised multiple political parties, including the IFP, the DA and the ANC, Gina said.

The role of electing a mayor fell within the powers and responsibilities of the municipality’s council and executive committee. 

“It is important to emphasise that it is not the responsibility of the premier or the office of the premier to directly influence or decide on the election of a mayor for any district municipality. The council and its processes must be respected in these matters, ensuring the district’s autonomy in governance,” Gina explained. 

The municipal manager of King Cetshwayo municipality, Philani Sibiya, resigned to become one of the senior officials in Ntuli’s office when he became premier. However, he went back to his old position in October.

Sources at the council said they had approved an advertisement for a new municipal manager and the process to replace Sibiya was under way when he suddenly came back to his old job. 

Municipal spokesperson Mbatha confirmed that Sibiya resigned in June, and that he was now back at the municipality.

“Sibiya did resign in June. However, prior to the approval of the advertisement for a new municipal manager, the council resolved that his resignation be withdrawn. There was no need for an interview, as council rescinded its decision to accept the resignation. It was an administrative decision taken in the best interests of the municipality,” Mbatha explained. 

Gina said Sibiya had never had any formal contract with the premier’s office. 

“As such, we cannot comment further on his employment status or movements, as those are matters between Sibiya and his employer,” he said.