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The Hawks conducted a raid at the Newcastle Local Municipality, where documents and laptops were seized as part of an investigation into alleged irregular spending and questionable contracts.
Newcastle municipality/Facebook
- The KwaZulu-Natal GPU says it won’t protect its IFP-led partners amid scrutiny over questionable contracts and spending in Newcastle and uThukela municipalities.
- Senior ANC and DA figures in the province said service delivery takes priority over political alliances, following a Hawks raid that seized documents and laptops from Newcastle officials.
- uThukela faces a R130 million legal dispute with a service provider and persistent governance challenges.
The KwaZulu-Natal government of provincial unity (GPU) will not shield its IFP-led partner, which has come under scrutiny over questionable contracts and spending in two municipalities.
Senior GPU figures, including the ANC’s Mike Mabuyakhulu and the DA’s Francois Rodgers, said service delivery takes precedence over their alliance with the IFP. Their comments follow a Hawks raid on Newcastle Local Municipality, where officials’ documents and laptops were seized.
Meanwhile, the Bergville-based uThukela District Municipality is embroiled in a R130 million legal dispute with a service provider that has led to the freezing of municipal bank accounts, alongside ongoing concerns over water tanker contracts.
Mabuyakhulu said ANC structures had long raised concerns about governance failures, particularly in uThukela and Newcastle, citing allegations of corruption, dereliction of duty and widespread maladministration.
He said communities continue to suffer despite significant spending.
He said:
The people want services. They want water. There are many basic service delivery issues that are quite problematic.
Mabuyakhulu added that the ANC is not part of the local arrangement in Newcastle and would not shield any party from accountability.
“We are not mincing our words. Where it matters most, we must be on the side of our people,” he said.
The DA in KwaZulu-Natal has also publicly acknowledged service delivery failures in several IFP-led municipalities where it has governance arrangements.
DA KwaZulu-Natal leader Francois Rodgers conceded that service delivery shortcomings remain a concern.
“Service delivery failures, where the DA has entered into service delivery pacts with the IFP in certain municipalities, remain a concern for the DA. It is for this reason that, in terms of the service delivery pact, bilateral engagements are taking place relating to service delivery,” said Rodgers.
READ | Hawks raid Newcastle municipality, seize laptops and documents
Rodgers said the DA had always been clear that service delivery pacts at the municipal level were not structured coalitions.
He said:
These pacts are entered into on a case-by-case basis, framed around cooperation.
During presentations to Parliament, lawmakers raised concerns that the Newcastle municipality spent more than R30 million on the construction of a short stretch of road.
This sparked questions about inflated costs, supply chain management processes and whether the municipality received value for money.
MPs questioned whether the costs were justified, whether proper procurement procedures had been followed, and whether the infrastructure delivered on the ground corresponded with the amounts paid.
Communities in parts of uThukela have repeatedly voiced their frustrations with inconsistent water supply, even as substantial budgets were allocated to emergency water provision.
Rodgers welcomed the Hawks’ raid on Wednesday.
He stated:
The DA welcomes any oversight or investigation by legitimate organs of state.
However, Rodgers stopped short of outlining specific consequences should investigations confirm wrongdoing, instead referring to ongoing bilateral engagements between the parties.
The IFP KwaZulu-Natal chairperson, Thamsanqa Ntuli, addressed concerns over municipal performance, saying the party takes such matters seriously.
“As a party, we want municipalities to be led well at all times. When reports of poor performance arise, we engage with those municipalities,” he said.
Ntuli said the party also has programmes aimed at strengthening knowledge on proper municipal leadership at the council level.
He said at a provincial level, the party emphasises the importance of subscribing to clean governance.
Ntuli addressed the specific case of uThukela municipality, which went to court and had its accounts unfrozen.
He added:
We are aware of the uThukela matter. In any government, there will be instances of legal disputes. What’s important for the IFP is that municipalities protect the interests of their communities while resolving these matters.
Ntuli said even though there might be certain public perceptions of IFP leadership in municipalities, particularly in the lead-up to local elections, they remain confident.
“At a national level, our serving structures oversee municipal issues, and any concern receives the attention it deserves. Integrity is at the centre of our approach. The IFP has historically taken bold decisions against municipalities led by our party when irregularities occur. We also have consequence management, including the redeployment of leaders when necessary,” he said.
He said the party is not afraid to make decisive interventions when the situation demands it.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated with comment from the IFP.
