Durban - KwaZulu-Natal Premier Sihle Zikalala has blamed bureaucracy for the collapse in governance at the Msunduzi Municipality in Pietermaritzburg.
In a media briefing after consultation with local businesses on Thursday, the premier gave orders to Msunduzi mayor Mzimkhulu Thebolla to root out the lazy officials who were not doing their jobs. Zikalala laid the blame on the officials. He said their failure to perform their duties had led to the municipality being dysfunctional.
The meeting that the media was barred from was supposed to discuss strategies to woo investment and economic growth, but it turned out to be a platform for businesses to tell the premier about their challenges in doing business in the city.
Before meeting business owners the premier, accompanied by various MECs, first met district and local municipality political and administrative leadership.
Zikalala said the purpose of the working session was to improve the relationship between the government, business and the municipality to fix the challenges, and rebuild and reposition Msunduzi Municipality.
“Today, we convened together to commence the work to build this municipality and make it function. We believe that the persistent outcries from communities, businesses and various sectors about the perceived dysfunctional state of the municipality warrants urgent attention and intervention. As government we have pledged to work together with stakeholders to make KZN a better and prosperous place for all,” said the premier.
He added that “if it means we have to be on a collision course with those who have made it their trade to destabilise this municipality, we are prepared to collide with them”.
Daily News