KwaZulu-Natal Cogta MEC Reverend Thulasizwe Buthelezi has directed an ANC-led Impendle municipality to elect a mayor within a week. Another political clash is looming between the IFP-led Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) and the ANC in KwaZulu-Natal following the department’s ultimatum that the Impendle Local Municipality elect a mayor within a week. The tiny ANC-led municipality outside Pietermaritzburg, has been without a mayor since July last year after Buyisani Mlaba was ousted through a vote of no confidence.
The motion was filed by the EFF and all ANC councillors, except the mayor, abstained. Several attempts to elect a new mayor by the ANC provincial leadership have failed. The ANC reportedly wanted to bring in someone from outside, however, the councillors resisted, allegedly demanding that the new mayor be appointed from within.
This led to a deadlock. On Thursday, Cogta MEC Reverend Thulasizwe Buthelezi visited the financially struggling municipality. In a statement the department issued thereafter, the MEC directed the council to elect the mayor by Thursday, February 5.
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The MEC’s visit was prompted by the municipality’s failure to pay workers their salaries. Buthelezi cited the absence of the mayor as one of the main reasons for the municipality’s financial collapse and directed the council to elect the mayor. “A municipality cannot be a ship without a captain.
This leadership vacuum has directly contributed to the current state of lawlessness and financial ruin we see today. To restore order, the MEC has issued a directive that a mayor must be formally appointed by Thursday, 5 February 2026,” read the statement.
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