Fraud, maladministration, and corruption persistently undermine the integrity of numerous municipalities across South Africa. However, the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (KZN CoGTA) is poised to unveil forensic reports exposing corruption, fraud, and maladministration within certain municipalities across the province.
To date, Endumeni (Dundee) Municipality and uThukela District Municipality have been identified as among the most troubled entities.
During a media briefing, CoGTA MEC Reverend Thulasizwe Buthelezi elaborated on the investigations concluded thus far, which have uncovered significant instances of fraud, corruption, and maladministration at the uThukela District Municipality and Endumeni (Dundee) Local Municipality.
“These investigations were initiated due to serious and substantiated allegations of wrongdoing and those investigations are now complete, and they will be tabled in the coming days,” said Reverend Buthelezi. He outlined key findings from the inquiries as follows:
- uThukela District Municipality: Repairs were executed without proper authorisation, and in some cases, consulting firms received payments exceeding R15.5 million without adhering to procurement protocols.
- Endumeni Local Municipality: Compliance with Regulation 32 was nonexistent, with companies—particularly security firms—engaged without competitive processes.
Moreover, Reverend Buthelezi emphasised that KZN CoGTA’s investigations yielded findings and recommendations that will trigger disciplinary action against senior municipal officials at both uThukela District Municipality and Endumeni Local Municipality. He further noted that the forensic reports will be presented to their respective councils, with a designated timeframe allocated for implementation.
“Some of the recommendations have instructed that criminal cases be opened, so we (KZN CoGTA) will follow the matter closely to ensure the report’s recommendations are implemented,” he affirmed.
Addressing the situation around uThukela District Municipality further, the Democratic Alliance’s (DA) uThukela Chairperson, Thys Janse van Rensburg explained that the report on Ezakheni Waterworks where R49 million ‘looted’ water pumps would also be tabled at the upcoming council meeting where the District Municipality will discuss the forensic report and its recommendations from KZN CoGTA.
According to Janse van Rensburg, following the flooding of the Ezakheni Waterworks during the April 2022 floods, the uThukela District Municipality ordered a third party to inspect six industrial pumps at the waterworks. He noted that the third party wrote off the pumps, after which they were then removed.
“This facility was commissioned in 2018 by Umgeni- uThukela Water at a staggering cost of R49 million. Umgeni- uThukela Water used APE Pumps, a South African manufacturer. They raised flags over the removal of these pumps citing that they had monitored them remotely via telemetry and confirmed that the pumps incurred no damage during the April 2022 floods. They were not afforded the opportunity to inspect these pumps as provided for in the warranty agreement. These pumps that had been installed in 2019, had only been in service for just over three years despite a projected 30-year lifespan as confirmed by APE pumps,” stressed Janse van Rensburg.
Adding insult to injury, he explained that uThukela District continues to bear the financial burden of this loss, with the facility’s cost contributing to an unpaid debt of R200 million owed to Umgeni-uThukela Water—a debt that grows as service delivery collapses.
“The theft triggered years of water shedding, forcing over 70 000 residents to endure dry taps and rely on expensive water trucks. This disruption severely damaged the articulation system in Umnambithi/Ladysmith, where the constant emptying and refilling of pipelines caused pressure shocks, leading to numerous ongoing pipe bursts,” Janse van Rensburg explained.
He further added that in February 2023, the DA conducted an exposé revealing the deliberate destruction of these pumps.
Following the exposé, Jane van Rensburg explained that the DA demanded a thorough investigation into the incident.
“On 29 May 2023, the uThukela Council tabled its own forensic report, which unequivocally highlighted rampant corruption and evidence of municipal capture involving hundreds of millions of Rands. Shockingly, the Council failed to adopt the report’s findings and recommendations, leaving the DA with no choice but to exhaust all internal avenues. Undeterred, we escalated the matter to the KwaZulu-Natal Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA) MEC in August of 2023, presenting prima facie evidence sufficient to justify a Section 106 Forensic Investigation,” said Janse van Rensburg.
He further pointed out that the DA is confident that the weight of the evidence—detailing the extent of corruption, the identities of those involved, and the systemic failures that enabled this scandal—will compel the majority of councillors to adopt the recommendations in their entirety.
In response to KZN CoGTA’s findings, uThukela District Municipality issued a statement recognising the recently released Section 106 Investigation Report by KZN CoGTA as a vital instrument for ensuring accountability and addressing corruption and maladministration within its jurisdiction.
“The report will be deliberated upon by Council on the 20th of March 2025, after which an action plan will be developed and submitted to Cogta to guide the implementation of its findings and recommendations. uThukela District Municipality affirms its full cooperation and support for the MEC’s report and remains committed to restoring good governance, transparency, and service delivery for the people of uThukela,” said the District Municipality.
It is worth noting that uThukela District Municipality and Endumeni Local Municipality are not the only entities facing scrutiny.
KZN CoGTA has also authorised Section 106 forensic investigations into the Msunduzi, KwaDukuza, and Nongoma Municipalities.
Reverend Buthelezi clarified that such measures are mandated by Section 106 of the Municipal Systems Act, which requires the MEC to investigate upon receiving allegations related to maladministration, fraud, and corruption within a municipality. These investigations will specifically target allegations involving:
- Abuse of municipal assets.
- Heightened levels of political instability.
- Political interference in procurement processes.
- Deficiencies in consequence management.
- Violations of Supply Chain Management (SCM) regulations.
- Irregularities in recruitment procedures.
- Instances of maladministration, fraud, and corruption.
With KZN CoGTA directing its efforts toward municipalities across KwaZulu-Natal, the MEC underscored the department’s commitment to eradicating corruption throughout the province and prioritising service delivery, ensuring that taxpayers’ funds are utilised as intended.
As the government intensifies its focus on eliminating corruption, fraud, and maladministration from local municipalities, what are your thoughts on these developments? Share your perspectives in the comment section below.
Comments 2
MONEY TALKS… B@&&#:=T…WALKS…NOTHING WILL HAPPEN…. ONCE AGAIN… OVER 30 YEARS OF cANCer… FRAUD CORRUPTION AND THIEVES…. 🖕🖕
Here in Dundee it’s worse, in Forestdale we have no street lights installed, roads are full of potholes, and at one stage Bulwer Street which had no potholes was dug up Last year and the potholes which was made by the contractor and filled up this year. At the Forestdale Extension sewerage is seeping into some homes, all RDP houses ceilings are down, doors are now rotten with gaping holes etc etc etc the list is long.