SAMWU DEMANDS THE IMMEDIATE REMOVAL OF MINISTERIAL REPRESENTATIVE AT UMKHANYAKUDE DISTRICT MUNICIPALITY

July 21, 2025 adminPress

21 July 2025

The South African Municipal Workers’ Union (SAMWU) in the Shonamalanga Region expresses grave concern regarding the ongoing intervention by the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA) under Section 139(1)(b) at Umkhanyakude District Municipality. Of particular concern is the continued imposition of Ministerial Representative Mr. Bamba Ndwadwe, whose presence in the past had failed to stabilise the institution but worsened which resulted crisis facing workers and governance structures.

On 28 June 2022, SAMWU formally communicated with COGTA calling for the immediate removal of Mr. Ndwadwe, citing numerous and serious concerns raised by workers such as:

Violations of labour rights and the deliberate erosion of conditions of service;
Unilateral amendments to existing service conditions without engagement with organised labour;
Improper interference in Supply Chain Management processes, undermining transparency and compliance;
Denial and delay in providing tools of trade, impacting service delivery;
Absence of a comprehensive turnaround strategy, leaving the municipality rudderless;
Politicisation and division of union members within the workplace;
Suspension of the placement process, affecting staff progression and morale;
Instances where our members were subjected to physical threats while discharging their duties;
The irregular opening of a bank account, raising red flags around financial governance;
Overall decay of good governance within the municipality;
The unprocedural appointment of an Acting Municipal Manager without a proper Council resolution.
As SAMWU, we firmly oppose the continued Section 139(1)(b) intervention. Workers have been at the forefront of stabilising the institution, having played a direct role in addressing triggers cited for intervention, including poor audit outcomes, cash flow constraints, and failure to appoint senior management. These gains are now at risk of being reversed due to continued political interference and lack of transparency.

Furthermore, we are alarmed by COGTA’s silence regarding similar or even worse governance and financial challenges faced by local municipalities under Umkhanyakude District, notably:

Jozini Municipality, where the ongoing failure to appoint senior management and severe cash flow problems have resulted in delayed salary payments to workers;
Mtubatuba Municipality, which continues to fail in its legal obligations, such as non-payment of COIDA fees for over two years, leaving workers vulnerable and unprotected.
COGTA’s selective intervention raises serious questions about fairness, consistency, and the real motives behind these so-called “corrective” actions.

OUR POSITION IS CLEAR:

We reject the continued Section 139(1)(b) intervention in Umkhanyakude District Municipality.
We demand the immediate removal of Mr. Bamba Ndwadwe as Ministerial Representative.
We demand that COGTA urgently intervene in Jozini and Mtubatuba Municipalities, where workers are subjected to deteriorating working conditions and financial instability.
As SAMWU in the Shonamalanga Region, we remain committed to defending the rights of municipal workers, promoting ethical governance, and restoring stability in local government. The time for selective governance and political gatekeeping must come to an end.

Issued by SAMWU Shonamalanga Region

Zandile Gumede
Regional Secretary
0812842591

Zethu Fakude
Deputy Region Secretary
0635092924