KwaZulu-Natal Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs MEC Thulasizwe Buthelezi has removed Mandeni councillor Lungile Mthembu from office with immediate effect after an investigation found multiple serious breaches of the Code of Conduct for Councillors.
KZN COGTA spokesperson Siboniso Mngandi said Buthelezi decided on Mthembu's removal after considering the findings and recommendations in the investigator’s report.
Mthembu was given an opportunity to respond to the allegations but chose not to submit a response.
IOL previously reported that Mthembu, an ANC councillor representing Ward 11, was implicated in a leaked voice recording in which she allegedly discussed a R100,000 payment with a contractor whose company had been awarded a tender to tar a gravel road in her ward.
At the time, Mandeni council Speaker Phindile Sishi said Mthembu had not denied the allegations but maintained that she was not asking for a bribe and wanted to start a programme in her ward.
Sishi said the municipality did not have a committee authorised to request money from contractors for community projects and that councillors were not permitted to ask contractors for money.
MEC cites need for accountability
Mthembu’s removal was effected under the Local Government: Municipal Structures Act.
Buthelezi said serious misconduct by elected representatives undermined the integrity of local government, damaged public confidence in municipal institutions and compromised the ethical standards expected of those entrusted with public office.
“Public representatives are entrusted with serving communities honestly, ethically and in the best interests of the people.
''They are expected to uphold the highest standards of conduct and accountability.
''Where serious misconduct has been established through the appropriate processes, action must be taken in accordance with the law to protect the integrity of local government and maintain public confidence in municipal governance,” said Buthelezi.
The MEC reaffirmed the provincial government’s commitment to ethical leadership, accountability and sound governance across all municipalities in KwaZulu-Natal.
He said all councillors were bound by the standards prescribed in the Code of Conduct for Councillors and had to be held accountable for their conduct in accordance with the law.
hope.ntanzi@iol.co.za
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