Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) MEC Thulasizwe Buthelezi (Jabulani Langa/City Press)
- A disagreement between Thulasizwe Buthelezi and Cyril Xaba is playing out in public.
- It involves the suspension of eThekwini’s deputy city manager for trading services, Sibusiso Makhanya.
- Xaba says he won’t be dragged into a back-and-forth with Buthelezi via the media.
Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) MEC Thulasizwe Buthelezi and the mayor of eThekwini, Cyril Xaba, have had a terse exchange regarding allegations of corruption as well as the suspension of a senior official.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, Buthelezi announced that he had instructed Xaba to ensure that the suspension of the deputy city manager for trading services, Sibusiso Makhanya, which was taken on 13 September 2024, was rescinded within 72 hours.
Buthelezi told Xaba that it was not in the remit of the executive committee of any municipality to suspend senior managers.
Buthelezi said: “It is only the council that has the discretion to suspend senior managers – and this function cannot be delegated to the executive committee.”
He said the suspension violated the Local Government: Disciplinary Regulations for Senior Managers 2010, “and thus amounts to maladministration”.
Buthelezi added that the letters he had sent to Xaba were never acknowledged and that the mayor did not respond to them.
“The regressing trend of poor governance, lack of consequence management and maladministration in eThekwini are a cause for concern and may lead to a recommendation for escalated intervention from the provincial government,” he said.
Xaba replied that he had, in fact, responded to all three letters.
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The mayor, in a statement on Tuesday night, told reporters that he had, in an executive committee meeting, reaffirmed the city’s commitment to fighting fraud, corruption and maladministration.
He cited a media statement from last week, by Buthelezi, which revealed that his department had received reports, some from whistleblowers, alleging fraud, corruption, maladministration and statutory non-compliance in the metro.
“Other than people raising allegations, either in the print media or social media, I am yet to see evidence to support the allegations,” Xaba said.
“If they are convinced there is substance in the allegations they are raising, they need to report the allegations to law enforcement agencies. Anyone who is aware of fraud being committed or corruption taking place must report it to the city’s Integrity and Investigative Unit for investigation or the police because they have the capacity to conduct such investigations.”
He said the executive committee would be briefed about the reports at an in-committee meeting on Wednesday afternoon.
Xaba said:
We are concerned about the continued leaking of letters that are said to be directed to the mayor because, as far as we are concerned, they must be treated confidentially.
“I don’t believe that leaking confidential letters to the media is the best way to conduct business between the city and the province. We will not respond to MEC Buthelezi via the media. I have responded to the MEC, and our letter has not been leaked because we don’t believe in trying to score political points.”
Xaba responded to the threat of “escalated intervention” from Buthelezi’s office by saying that he welcomed it – but added that “any support offered must be aimed at assisting, and not to find reasons to sink the city”.
