The City of uMhlathuze in KwaZulu-Natal, led by the IFP, has been paying monthly salaries to three councillors despite them no longer being members of the EFF, the party that had deployed them to serve in the council.
In total, the three councillors, Happiness Khuzwayo, Philile Nyawo, and Khuliliwe, are alleged to have racked up more than R1.4-million of municipal funds since November 2023, when they were shown the door.
The councillors were part of several EFF public office bearers who were given their marching orders when they failed to procure buses for EFF party hopefuls to travel to its 10th anniversary bash at the FNB Stadium in July 2023.
This is after the red berets central command team issued a directive that members serving the party in all legislatures and parliament were compelled to raise funds for transport.
The EFF has petitioned the Pietermaritzburg High Court to halt their excessive salary benefits and financial contributions.
According to Nkululeko Ngubane, the EFF secretary-general in KwaZulu-Natal, the councillors have been receiving protection from the mayor.
Matter is subject of legal proceedings
“This is thuggery, fraud, and a blatant fraudulent activity protected by the IFP, who lead the municipality,” Ngubane told Sunday World at the weekend.
“We have been writing letters pleading with the city manager to stop their salaries, but they have refused.”
Ngubane also stated that the matter is now the subject of legal proceedings.
“We have filed the court papers at the Pietermaritzburg High Court, suing the municipality. We want the court to intervene and compel the municipality to release the councillors so that new ones mandated by the party can be sworn in.”
The matter will be heard before the end of February.
The EFF has six seats in the council, which it attained during the 2021 municipal elections. The red berets once co-governed the council located on the province’s north coast.
However, hostilities between the IFP and EFF persisted out of control, leading to the break in the marriage of convenience.
The councillors who were among the 62 sacked public representatives had gone to court to contest their expulsion, but their bid failed.
