KZN COGTA slams Impendle Municipality over non-payment of staff salaries

The KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA) has critiqued the Impendle Local Municipality for again failing to pay workers' salaries.

This is the third time in 12 months that the municipality in the KZN Midlands failed to honour its obligation. 

Non-payment of salaries has led to picketing outside municipal offices.  

COGTA MEC Thulasizwe Buthelezi is on an oversight visit to the municipality on Wednesday, where he is locked in a meeting with councillors inside the Impendle council chamber. 

On the agenda is the municipality's deepening financial crisis.  

Buthelezi said the recurring financial issues are a concern after similar payment struggles were flagged in May and December 2025.  

The MEC cited this as a lack of leadership.  

“They’ve been unable to pay salaries, which is totally unacceptable and shows a clear lack of leadership both administratively.” 

The department said it's considering ways to get the municipality's books out of the red.

 “We do make a call that proper financial management must happen in all municipalities so that we are accountable for the funds that we receive from the national fiscus,” said Buthelezi. 

He added that all 54 municipalities in the province should be held to account.