Durban - The former deputy mayor of eThekwini, Philani Mavundla, has locked horns with the IFP- led Umzinyathi district municipality in northern KwaZulu-Natal, claiming that it had been underspending its water and sanitation grants whilst facing a decades-long water crisis.
Mavundla alleges that the political leadership of the district municipality led by mayor Petros Ngubane, appeared not to be holding officials accountable for the underspending at a time when residents desperately need water.
Mavundla is the former mayor of Umvoti who after leaving eThekwini at the end of last month, was moved by his party, the Abantu Batho Congress, back to Greytown to build structures ahead of next year’s provincial and national elections.
NEWS: Former eThekwini deputy mayor and ABC President, Philani PG Mavundla, has unearthed evidence showing that the IFP run Umzinyathi district municipality is not fully utilizing its water infrastructure grants even though it is facing a crippling water challenge. @IOL pic.twitter.com/sIjNMSlrUO
— Sihle Mavuso (@ZANewsFlash) March 20, 2023
On Monday, Mavundla came with a report compiled by the KwaZulu-Natal department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) which was monitoring the water and sanitation grants given to all 11 district municipalities.
It was found that uMzinyathi had spent 3% of its water grants and 6% of its sanitation grant.
This even though it desperately needed the two services in towns like Dundee, Greytown, Umsinga and Nquthu where water rationing has become the norm.
Mavundla said that was worrying as the focus had been sharply on ANC-run municipalities and their failures, while the IFP municipalities were failing the people.
“Money is there, but they lack the understanding of how much damage is being cause(d).”
“The municipality’s financial year spans from July 1 to the end June every year. The municipality does their monthly and quarterly reporting.
“If you look at sanitation, only 3% has been spent in four months.
“Water only 21.01%. My problem is that the people at Umzinyathi don't have water.
“The sewer being dumped into the river should not be happening since they have only spent 3.2% of the R8m.
“To answer you, it is the incompetence of the politicians failing to make their officials to perform and to account
“The problem I'm seeing is (in) only the IFP municipality. There are no ANC-led municipalities.
“I'm therefore worried that theirs may be worse considering what we found in eThekwini,” Mavundla told IOL.
However, Ngubane shot down Mavundla’s claims, saying he was not being honest with his assessment.
Ngubane said they had R102 million which they had to spend on water and sanitation, but they were hampered by several litigation issues in the past few months.
“I can assure you that no money would be returned to the government when our financial year ends on June 30.
“They gave us more money to drill boreholes after we made a request to them, there is no way that money could be returned when companies have been working.
“Those celebrating that money we would be returned to the government unspent should hold their horses, we have a clear water and sanitation plan where we will spend it,” Ngubane said in response to Mavundla.
He said their sanitation plan is currently focused on building toilets in Nquthu, Ndumeni (Dundee) and Umsinga.
He added that the unspent money would be used to extend several sewers in the major towns.
“Even the minister of water and sanitation, Macingwane (Senzo Mchunu), knows that the money would not be withdrawn as we have to build a new sewer in Kranskop.
“We have to extend our sewer plant in Greytown (Umvoti), build a new sewer at Nondweni and extend the sewer of Pomeroy in Umsinga.
“All those projects are known and we have kept minister Macingwane updated about them, I wonder how can Mavundla know this since his party is not represented at the district level,” Ngubane said.
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