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The newly appointed MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta), Sipho Hlomuka, wants to see stability in the municipalities.
- Seven councilors from eThekwini Metro reportedly have not paid their municipal bills.
- The matter has been reported internally to the council’s ethics committee.
- Cogta MEC Sipho Hlomuka says officials should set an example.
The eThekwini Metro Ethics Committee has indicted seven councilors for allegedly defaulting on their municipal accounts, according to KwaZulu-Natal Cogta MEC Sipho Hlomuka.
He thanked eThekwini Metro for the steps taken against the councilors, who are from different parties in the metro.
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Hlomuka said councilors and officials must lead by example and must “be held accountable for their actions.”
“Consumer debt exceeds 20 billion rand in the province and it cannot be right that we have councilors or officials as the perpetrators of this deliberate behavior, which compromises the provision of services even for those who pay for services, for example,” he said.
Hlomuka also called on municipalities to take steps to hold all councilors who delay providing services to communities to account.
“The municipalities must ensure that councilors who do not pay for electricity and water are sanctioned because, as elected representatives, they must take [the] Lead in the mobilization of their communities to support Masakhane’s campaign, which seeks to encourage all citizens to pay for services ”, he added.
The eThekwini metro has had a tough few years after being asked to resign from former eThekwini mayor Zandile Gumede. The ANC cited performance as a concern.
The City has had never-ending problems with garbage collection, abnormally high electricity bills, and a host of other administrative problems.
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