The South African municipality without a mayor

A deepening governance crisis in the KwaZulu-Natal midlands has left the Impendle Local Municipality in a state of administrative paralysis and financial ruin. 

Located within the uMgungundlovu District Municipality, Impendle is home to roughly 40,000 residents who say that their needs have taken a back seat.

Following a vote of no confidence passed by opposition parties last year, the municipality has failed to elect a new political head, leaving the council leaderless for over six months.

The situation reached a boiling point in late January 2026, drawing the intervention of the KwaZulu-Natal MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA), Reverend Thulasizwe Buthelezi. 

During an oversight visit on January 28, Buthelezi condemned the failure of the council to fill the vacancy that has existed since July 2025.

“A municipality cannot be a ship without a captain,” Buthelezi told the council. “This leadership vacuum has directly contributed to the current state of lawlessness and financial ruin we see today.”

The municipal council consists of ten members. In the 2021 municipal elections, the African National Congress (ANC) won a majority of six seats on the council.

This was followed by the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) at two, and the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) at two.

Financial collapse and “betrayal” of residents

The absence of political oversight has coincided with severe financial mismanagement. The department revealed that the municipality had failed to pay salaries to councillors and staff due to the “total depletion of municipal coffers.”

Even more alarming to provincial authorities was the mismanagement of R43.5 million in conditional grants. 

Instead of funding critical infrastructure, the MEC said that portions of this money were diverted to cover operational costs like salaries, while other funds were returned to the National Treasury because the municipality failed to spend them.

Buthelezi described this failure as a direct offence against the community.

“It is a betrayal of the residents of Impendle that money meant for water, roads, and electricity is being sent back to Pretoria or used to cover administrative failures while our people continue to wait for services. This ends now.”

According to the most recent report from the Auditor General, the municipality spent just 0.4% of the value of property, plant and equipment for repairs and maintenance, well below the National Treasury standard of 8%.

The administrative chaos has also devastated municipal workers.

The South African Municipal Workers’ Union (SAMWU) reported that the municipality failed to pay December and January salaries, a violation of service conditions they labelled “inconsiderate and inhumane.”

According to the union, payment irregularities began in April 2025, with leadership frequently offering “all sorts of excuses” to alter payment dates. 

Furthermore, the municipality has stopped making third-party payments on behalf of employees, leaving workers exposed regarding their medical aid, pension funds, and funeral cover.

“These acts of late salary payments and non-payment of third parties are detrimental to the well-being of workers,” stated SAMWU, noting that the negligence has “collapsed workers’ policies” and damaged their credit profiles.

The municipal council has been ordered by the provincial government to formally appoint a Mayor by Thursday, February 5, 2026. 

Additionally, all ten councillors have been served with the Code of Conduct and must provide written reasons why they should not be held personally liable for the collapse of oversight.

Meanwhile, SAMWU has called for the immediate resignation of the Municipal Manager and has urged the MEC to “revoke Section 139(1)(a)(b)(c) to put the Impendle Local Municipality under administration.”

As workers and community members continue to picket outside municipal offices, the pressure is mounting to restore governance to a municipality that has been adrift for too long.