Jozini Congress Slams IFP Over Alleged Administration Interference and Municipal Manager Bullying
A fierce political dispute has erupted in the Jozini Local Municipality following a strongly worded public statement issued by the Jozini Congress.
The organization has publicly accused the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) of deploying “bullying tactics” against the local Municipal Manager and unlawfully interfering with administrative operations.
According to a press statement released on Wednesday, by Jozini Congress representative Samkelo Mthembu, the IFP has allegedly attempted to mandate the Municipal Manager to stop salary payments for specific municipal councillors.
The Jozini Congress condemned the action, describing it as a “desperate attempt” driven by an “abuse of power.”
The statement firmly rejected the IFP’s actions, declaring that the party “will not allow the IFP to administer Jozini Local Municipality as the IFP spaza shop.”
It further asserted that such political overreach into municipal administration is both unconstitutional and unlawful.
Central to the dispute is the legal protocol for declaring council vacancies.
The Jozini Congress emphasized that under South African law, only the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) holds the legal prerogative to declare vacancies and formally notify the municipality.
The statement argued that political parties have no authority to independently declare vacancies to a Municipal Manager or instruct administrative staff to halt councillor remuneration.
Furthermore, the Jozini Congress raised concerns over timing, noting that the cut-off date for holding local by-elections has already passed.
They argue that declaring vacancies for ward councillors at this stage violates established statutory timelines.
In response to the escalating tensions, the Jozini Congress has formally called upon the IEC to intervene.
The group wants the electoral body to educate the IFP leadership on municipal governance laws and explicitly reinforce the legal boundaries that prohibit political parties from interfering with independent municipal administrations.
Local government experts note that interference in municipal administration has long been a sensitive issue in KwaZulu-Natal’s local councils, often leading to service delivery delays and institutional instability.
Neither the IFP leadership nor the Jozini Local Municipality’s administrative office has issued an official counter-response to these specific allegations at the time of publication.
