KwaDukuza Local Municipality DA caucus leader councillor Privi Makhan says the mayor’s first 100 days in office saw 81 days of power outages Picture: Supplied
The Democratic Alliance in KwaDukuza Local Municipality has described the mayor's first 100 days in office as that of regression rather than progression.
In a statement issued by the party’s caucus leader Privi Makhan, it said for the past 100 days since mayor Muzi Ali Ngidi was appointed, the municipality has regressed. The DA said out of 100 days of mayor Ngidi in office, the municipality saw 81 days of power outages which the party said had left business paralysed. The party further described the mayor's 100 days as being made up of handshakes, school and church visits.
“KwaDukuza economy has been brought to its knees due to relentless power outages and while this cannot only be solely attributed to the mayor, he has failed to provide leadership during this crisis and continues on his ceremonial tour of the municipality. The mayor is yet to highlight a single achievement during this period and we are yet to see tangible outcome of his key priorities,” said the DA.
Besides service delivery challenges under mayor Ngidi, the municipality has lost R35 million through cyber crime with the municipality yet to establish how and who authorised the transactions. Last week, the opposition called for action against the mayor after allegations that his wife was seen dropping off their children at school with the mayoral car.
Hitting back at the DA, the municipality accused Makhan of trying to appeal to the black majority by discrediting the ANC-deployed mayor. In a statement issued by the whip of the council councillor Ntokozo Mbatha, the municipality defended the mayor’s visit to schools and churches. Mbatha disputed Makhan’s assertion that the mayor had not done anything to deal with power outages. He said the mayor had led a delegation where he met the Ilembe Chamber of Commerce and a task team was set up.
“We will not allow the DA to dictate the public discourse. In due course and through proper channels, Mayor Muzi “Ali” Ngidi will reflect on his 100 Days in office and make the necessary pronouncements in this regard. That agenda will not be led by the opposition.“
“What councillor Makhan fails to appreciate is the fact that churches are important stakeholders in the lives of the people of KwaDukuza. The government can build the physical infrastructure such as roads, community halls, clinics, etc., but churches and religion generally, can influence the inner being of a person. Religion, like other philosophies, influences how we see the world we live in,” said Mbatha.
willem.phungula@inl.co.za