- KZN Cabinet expected to reverse decision to place Mkhanyakude Municipality under administration.
- ANC’s Mike Mabuyakhulu says a resolution is “close” following talks with Premier Thami Ntuli.
The KwaZulu-Natal provincial government is expected to withdraw its decision to place Mkhanyakude District Municipality under administration after weeks of political and legal disputes.
According to an inside source, the Cabinet has agreed to reverse the move following strong opposition from municipal leaders who challenged the intervention in the Pietermaritzburg High Court.
The standoff has already seen the municipal offices shut for nearly two months, with officials refusing to recognise Bamba Ndwandwe, who had been deployed as the administrator.
Legal and Political Pushback
The legal challenge by the council leadership, combined with the refusal of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs MEC Velenkosini Hlabisa to sign off on the decision, left the intervention on shaky ground.
“The MEC was supposed to approve the move by July 26, but that never happened. By now, even government admits it’s a lost cause,” the source said.
ANC Calls for Stability
ANC KZN convenor Mike Mabuyakhulu told reporters that a solution was near. He said Premier Thami Ntuli had received the party’s concerns positively and pledged to seek a stabilising outcome.
“We are urging the Premier and his Cabinet to accept the council’s proposal to send support staff rather than impose an administrator. This will restore stability,” Mabuyakhulu said.
He further argued that the intervention was unlawful without Hlabisa’s sign-off.