What’s Happening in Endumeni?
A Sixth Attempt to Pass the Budget Fails
The IFP‑led Endumeni Local Municipality in Dundee has missed its budget approval for the sixth time. Provincial Treasury gave the council one final chance: pass the budget by next Friday or face dissolution.
Why the DA Changed Sides
Originally, the DA partnered with the IFP to run the municipality. Recently, the DA shifted its support to the ANC, voting together to block every budget proposal. The DA says it wants a budget that truly addresses residents’ concerns, especially the growing Eskom debt with no clear repayment plan.
ANC’s Conditions for Support
The ANC, backed by the DA, insists that the budget cannot be approved until a corruption report on disaster‑management spending is tabled. The report allegedly shows the mayor pocketing R800,000. ANC members also demand a motion to remove the mayor before any budget vote.
ANC Exco Member Speaks Out
Zitha Shelembe, an ANC Exco member, said:
“We need that corruption report before we pass the budget. We cannot hand over the budget to corrupt people. We also want the mayor removed.”
Mayor’s Silence
Mayor Mcebo Mkhize has not yet replied to questions about the allegations or the budget impasse.
Treasury’s Intervention
Finance MEC Francois Rodgers called the mayor and the executive committee to explain the repeated failures. He warned that not passing the budget breaches the Municipal Finance Management Act and gave the council one last try next week.
What Happens If the Budget Isn’t Passed?
If the council fails to approve the budget by the deadline, the municipality will be dissolved. The Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs MEC, Reverend Thulasizwe Buthelezi, will then appoint an administrator to run the area until the next local government elections on 4 November.
Bottom Line
Endumeni stands at a crossroads: either the IFP‑DA coalition manages to pass a budget that satisfies the ANC’s transparency demands, or the province steps in, dissolves the council, and installs an administrator to oversee affairs until voters decide the municipality’s future.
