The Congress of the People welcomes the decision of the MEC for Co-operative Governance in KZN, Nomusa Dube, to place the Msunduzi Municipality under administration, and strip the entire municipality of their powers. This confirms our view that the current ANC-led council are incapable of running a municipality.
 
COPE also agrees with the MEC that there were many warnings of the imminent melt-down. COPE, along with ratepayers and civic organisations, have been expressing concern for years about problems with the running of the Municipality but the council and officials, with typical arrogance, have ignored all warnings and lurched from crisis to crisis.
 
It is clear that the councillors and staff of the municipality do not have the skills or motivation to run a city, and COPE welcomes the decision to place them under administration.
However, despite the fact that these councillors have been stripped of their powers, they are still on full pay. It is estimated that the salaries of these councillors, who have allowed the municipality to collapse, is costing the city R1,25 million per month.
If one adds in the salaries of the Municipal Manager, the various deputies and the project managers - all of whom are currently doing nothing - then the salary bill is easily doubled. 
 
COPE would like to suggest that the MEC adheres to the hard line that the ANC has always proclaimed that it will take, and fires these councillors and officials for once and for all. The municipality cannot afford to keep them on the payroll, and the country cannot afford to have them redeployed. This will save the city an enormous amount of money which can be put towards service delivery.