The joint oversight committees, including the Portfolio Committee on Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA), Standing Committee on Public Accounts, and the Standing Committee on Auditor-General, today raised serious concerns over payroll irregularities at Amajuba District Municipality.
It was revealed that two individuals were being paid for a single councillor position, resulting in wasteful and potentially unlawful expenditure. This irregularity exposes significant weaknesses in financial oversight and administrative accountability at the municipality.
The committees learnt about this irregularity during an engagement with the municipality as part of their four-day joint oversight visit to KwaZulu-Natal aimed at focusing on municipalities identified by the Auditor-General of South Africa as distressed or dysfunctional.
Committees emphasised that the Amajuba District Municipal Manager, as accounting officer, bears full responsibility for ensuring proper payments and adherence to council resolutions. The mayor, speaker and deputy mayor were also criticised for inconsistent and inaccurate information regarding councillor numbers and payroll, further undermining public trust.
The committees made it clear that failure to address such irregularities constitutes serious governance lapses. They further called for the MEC responsible for cooperative governance and cooperative affairs to conduct a thoroughly investigation of this significant concern.
In response, the Municipal Manager committed to recouping the overpayments and enforcing proper payroll processes. The committees stressed that all individuals responsible for authorising or facilitating the improper payments will face strict consequence management. Immediate corrective action is required to protect public funds and restore credibility to the municipality.
Beyond payroll issues, the committees highlighted other critical areas of concern at Amajuba, including absenteeism, poor fleet and diesel management, ineffective use of consultants, water supply and infrastructure challenges, and a mismatch between budget expenditure and service delivery outcomes.
The municipality has been directed to provide comprehensive reports and strategies addressing these issues, including strengthening oversight, improving revenue collection, and ensuring functional disciplinary and accountability structures.
The committees have further mandated that a detailed post-audit action plan be submitted within three months, covering all identified governance, financial and operational irregularities. This plan must include specific corrective measures, timelines and accountability frameworks to restore proper administrative processes, safeguard public funds and ensure efficient service delivery to the communities of Amajuba District.
The committees also engaged with Ugu, Newcastle, Uthukela, Umkhanyakude and Umzinyathi district municipalities, as well as Inkosi Umtubatuba Local Municipality, and raised serious concerns about governance, financial management and service delivery. Across the municipalities, the committees called for the submission of detailed action plans and reports to address audit findings, mismanagement of conditional grants, irregular and wasteful expenditure, infrastructure oversight failures, and persistent water and electricity losses.
These reports, to be submitted within three months via the MEC, will inform follow-up engagements where officials will be held accountable for corrective action ahead of the next audit cycle.
At Ugu District Municipality, the committees focused sharply on the ongoing water crisis, directing the municipality to report comprehensively on water interventions, tanker operations, service coverage and outstanding challenges, while stressing that water tankers are not a permanent solution.
The Ugu District Municipality acknowledged the crisis and committed to completing outstanding water projects by the end of March, while reporting vandalism and suspected sabotage of infrastructure, with arrests already made.
Newcastle and Uthukela municipalities were instructed to address deep-seated governance weaknesses, including audit reliance, acting appointments, infrastructure failures, procurement irregularities, excessive use of consultants and going-concern risks, with the committees emphasising that consequence management, improved controls and sustainable service delivery are non-negotiable.
The committees further expressed grave concern over persistent governance and service delivery failures at the Umzinyathi District Municipality. They stressed that weak internal controls, questionable procurement practices and poor accountability can no longer be tolerated and warned that failure to implement corrective measures and consequence management will trigger further oversight and possible intervention.
The Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on COGTA, Dr Zweli Mkhize, underscored Parliament’s constitutional oversight mandate and directed municipalities to urgently submit credible, time-bound action plans to address the Auditor-General’s findings.
He warned that failure to do so would undermine service delivery and attract further oversight and consequence management. Dr Mkhize reaffirmed that the committee will closely track implementation and hold accounting officers accountable, while thanking municipalities for their participation in the engagements.
DETAILS OF THE PROGRAMME
Thursday, 29 January 2026
Engagements will be held with:
- Endumeni Local Municipality
- Nongoma Local Municipality
- Nquthu Local Municipality
- Msunduzi Local Municipality
- Mhlathuze Local Municipality
- Impendle Local Municipality
Friday, 30 January 2026
The committees will conclude the oversight visit with engagements with the Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma District Municipality and traditional leadership.
ISSUED BY THE PARLIAMENTARY COMMUNICATION SERVICES ON BEHALF OF THE CHAIRPERSON OF THE PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE ON COOPERATIVE GOVERNANCE AND TRADITIONAL AFFAIRS, DR ZWELI MKHIZE.
For media enquiries or interviews with the committee Chairpersons, please contact the committee’s Media Officer:
Name: Malentsoe Magwagwa (Ms)
Cell: 081 716 5824
Email: mmagwagwa@parliament.gov.za
