Daily operations at Nongoma Local Municipality in northern KwaZulu-Natal have grounded to a halt after staff was dispersed early due to safety fears.

That was after one of the candidates “appointed by the council” as the Municipal Manager (MM), Nhlakanipho Zulu showed up with armed bodyguards “to start working” in an office that is already occupied by Mpumelelo Mnguni.

Mnguni is occupying the position on an acting basis after he was seconded by the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA) to come on board and stabilize the troubled municipality.

However, the council is insisting on appointing Zulu despite a Pietermaritzburg High Court order barring them as he is deemed to be ill-qualified and unsuitable for the position. 

On Wednesday, March 12, Zulu came to the office with his guards and allegedly started giving instructions to employees, causing confusion and leaving employees “traumatised.”

Some employees said it was then decided that they should be dispersed early while the council and CoGTA work on resolving the matter.

“The heavily armed bodyguards roaming the offices left staff traumatised. Zulu made this worse by shouting at employees and he called unions,” said a source.

KwaZulu-Natal CoGTA said it condemns the actions by Zulu as the court was clear that he should not be in office, adding his actions are destabilizing the municipality. 

“This blatant disregard for the rule of law threatens the municipality’s ability to provide service delivery. On 26 November 2024, the Department convened a special council meeting where it formally communicated the secondment of Mr. Mpumelelo Mnguni as the Acting Municipal Manager. Subsequently, the Nongoma Local Municipality council resolved to confirm Mr. Mnguni’s appointment, thereby establishing a clear and lawful leadership structure.

“However, Mr. Zulu persists in his illegal occupation, engaging in acts of intimidation against municipal staff and actively disrupting the municipality’s operations. This flagrant defiance of the court’s ruling and the council’s decision constitutes a direct assault on the principles of good governance and threatens to derail the crucial work being undertaken by Mr. Mnguni to stabilise and revitalise one of the province’s most impoverished municipalities,” the KwaZulu-Natal Cogta department said in a statement. 

It added that law enforcement agencies should intervene decisively and take all necessary steps to address Zulu’s illegal actions. 

“These actions are not only unlawful but also severely detrimental to the municipality’s ability to deliver essential services to its residents.”