THE IFP axe has again fallen on another underperforming KwaZulu-Natal mayor, this time the mayor of the uMzinyathi District Municipality, who was let go earlier this week.
Mayor Petros Ngubane was relieved from his position on Monday following a meeting on Sunday with seven of the IFP's top officials, who deliberated on the service delivery shortcomings of the municipality.
They unanimously agreed to call time on Ngubane's mayoral career.
The IFP's national executive committee (NEC) accepted the recommendations of the top seven officials to remove Ngubane on Monday.
Ngubane's sacking follows that of another IFP mayor of the Newcastle-based AmaJuba District Municipality, Prince Ndabuko Zulu, who was removed in December after a lengthy meeting with the party's NEC.
Ngubane had been mayor for eight years. The municipality is plagued by water shortages under all its four local municipalities. Last year, the Auditor-General, Tsakane Maluleke, shared an adverse opinion against uMzinyathi—the worst possible audit outcome for a municipality.
UMzinyathi has received two adverse opinions for two consecutive years, which means that its financial statements were so unreliable that they can't be used for decision-making and oversight.
The municipality has been under administration for several years. Ngubane will now be replaced by the deputy mayor, Thembisile Mchunu. The IFP, in a statement, said the position of the deputy mayor would be filled in due course.
The municipality, which is headquartered in the northern town of Dundee, has had many challenges. It has failed to provide water and sanitation for residents, schools, churches, and businesses under all its local municipalities in eMsinga, Ndumeni, Umvoti, and Nquthu for several years.
Service delivery protests became common during Ngubane's 8-year-long mayorship, and even after the purchase of 28 water tankers, the municipality couldn't adequately provide water as residents continued to complain of the non-availability of water tankers.
According to a source, another mayor who met with the NEC was eJozini Local Municipality mayor, Mfananaye Mathe.
At the beginning of this year, the eJozini municipality implemented cost containment measures that put a moratorium on municipal-funded events, travel claims, accommodation costs, overtime, standby, and acting allowances.
With the local government elections taking place next year, the IFP looks set to improve its service delivery performance through consequence management in municipalities it won that have been plagued by delivery challenges.