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The KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) is satisfied with the progress recorded in Mtubatuba local municipality since its dissolution by the provincial cabinet last month and wishes to assure its residents that by-elections to elect a new council will take place in May as scheduled.

“We are working hard to restore order at Mtubatuba but, at the same time, we recognise that our role in this municipality is temporary. We are paving the way for a new democratically elected council which will take over from us within the three-month time limit since the dissolution as per the relevant local government legislation,” said KZN MEC for Cogta NomusaDube-Ncube.

KZN Cogta which will liaise with the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) to ensure free and fair by-elections at Mtubatuba urges the residents to support the departmental intervention in the municipality and prepare for both the IEC’s voter registration drive and the by-elections themselves which will proceed as planned.

“We are generally satisfied with the progress made by our designated team at Mtubatuba and we hope to hand over this municipality to a newly elected council in a much better shape administratively and financially than we found it when we took the decision to dissolve the previous council and relieve its councillors of their duties,” said Dube-Ncube.

KZN Cogta views dissolution of municipalities as a last resort when all other interventions to restore stability fail. This was the case at Mtubatuba where political instability frustrated all efforts on the part of the provincial government to return the municipality on a path to growth, sustainability and prosperity.

Issued by KZN COGTA