Despite the fact that the ANC-run Umkhanyakude district municipality has been removed from the list of municipalities that are under administration in KwaZulu-Natal, its former administrator, Bamba Ndwandwe, will stay on.
Ndwandwe will now be the governance expert to advise the municipality on governance matters.
This is contained in a letter dated September 2, which was sent to the Speaker, Solomon Mkhombo. The letter came from the MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) MEC Reverend Thulasizwe Buthelezi.
Letter seals the deal
“You were previously notified that on 25 June 2025, the KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Executive Council (“Executive Council”) resolved to institute a fresh intervention in terms of Section 139(1)(b) of the Constitution, 1996, at uMkhanyakude District Municipality. You are hereby notified that on 27 August 2025, the Provincial Executive Council resolved to terminate the intervention in terms of Section 139(1)(b) at uMkhanyakude District Municipality.
“The Provincial Executive Council further resolved to approve intensified support in terms of Section 154 of the Constitution at the municipality. In this regard, Mr. Bamba Ndwandwe has been appointed as the expert to render this support. The Speaker is requested to table this letter at the next Council meeting,” reads the letter from Buthelezi to Mkhombo.
Ndwandwe’s deployment in July this year sparked a bitter fight between the municipality and Buthelezi. The fight ended up in the Pietermaritzburg High Court, where the municipality challenged Ndwandwe’s deployment.
Municipality unimpressed
The municipality argued that the decision was irrational, as all the matters that were raised had been addressed.
It also argued that Ndwandwe was previously the administrator in the municipality. And things got worse under his watch; as such, the department should rescind its decision.
The high court case is now moot, as the municipality is no longer under administration but under Section 154. This means that Cogta and the provincial Treasury can provide expert support.
The municipality did not comment on whether or not it will accept Ndwandwe as a governance expert.
