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The Inkatha Freedom Party is appalled at the KZN Department of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA) for postponing the meeting to elect the Nquthu Municipal Council.

“We are deeply disturbed that the meeting scheduled for today to elect the Nquthu municipal council has been postponed for security reasons. This proves that this provincial government is weak, toothless and incapable of providing security to the citizens of KwaZulu-Natal.

By citing security reasons is this government saying that even when the Legislature is to sit to elect members of the Cabinet and there are threats from somewhere, it will postpone the sitting? By postponing this meeting the MEC for COGTA is sending a clear message that she is doing the bidding of her political masters who are hell-bent on stifling democratic processes. This is yet another indication that there is political interference by the ANC to prevent the IFP from taking control of the Nquthu Municipality,” said IFP Leader in the KZN Legislature, Mr Blessed Gwala MPL.

“While the ANC plays these shady political games, it is the Nquthu Local Municipality and the Mzinyathi District Municipality that is left without political oversight. These municipalities and its citizens are left in limbo because there can be little or no forward planning for service delivery going into the new year. Surely the democratically elected councillors and those who elected them would like some kind of closure to this protracted deadlock.

COGTA cannot go on hiding behind frivolous reasons and blaming councillors for not constituting the meeting. If security can be in place when there are elections throughout the province on one day, then why is it that security cannot be arranged for a meeting of a local municipality? We are convinced that this postponement is a political ploy that is being used by the ANC to achieve its agenda. We will not allow devious means to triumph over democratic processes”, concluded Mr Gwala.

Issued by IFP