The Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) led Uphongolo local municipality in northern KwaZulu-Natal is scrambling to get R610 000 to settle a lawyer’s bill where it was a respondent. The bizarre bill came from Nompumelelo Hadebe Inc, a Durban-based law firm that represented the municipality when, a few months ago, the mayor, Bongani Thwala and seven other councillors were trying to set aside the reinstatement of Bethuel Khali as the Municipal Manager. Khali was reinstated after the council voted in favour…

The Abaqulusi Local Municipality, which is anchored in Vryheid in northern KwaZulu-Natal, is breathing a sigh of relief after the National Treasury on Friday released its July equitable share, which runs into millions. The mayor of the IFP-led municipality said the share was mistakenly withheld because by the time the money was due, they had already met most of the conditions set out, which included paying Eskom for the bulk electricity supplied. Mayor Sifiso Mkhwanazi also said they had complied…

A new organisation for traditional leaders in South Africa has been launched in KwaZulu-Natal, and its leaders said they are not politically aligned and will strictly focus on issues of Amakhosi and traditional leadership structures. The new body is called the South African Traditional Leaders Organisation (SATLO), and its founding chairperson is Inkosi Khethokuhle Zondi of Mpumuza in Pietermaritzburg, and the Secretary-General is Inkosi Thanduyise Mzimela from Mthunzini near Empangeni in northern KwaZulu-Natal. Speaking at the launch, Inkosi Zondi said…

A group of 17 young plumbers have had their careers come to a screeching halt after an artisan school withheld their certificates due to unpaid debts. According to some of the learners who asked not to be publicly named, they were enrolled at the Durban Artisan Academy for a three year plumbing course, and when they graduated in 2023, they were told that they would not get their certificates because the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure owes the academy…

The eThekwini municipality has allayed concerns of residents of Montclair in the south of Durban on the issue of the flood victims who have been temporarily relocated from a costly flat on Point Road to the area. This was after the municipality clarified that the relocation is not permanent and the lodge will, at some point, be vacant and used only to house victims of disasters on an ad hoc basis while permanent accommodation is being sought. The assurance comes…

The Ithala Development Finance Corporation has set aside funds to renovate the historic Ithala centre in KwaMashu in the north of Durban, which was looted and burnt down during the July 2021 unrest, which was sparked by the arrest of former President Jacob Zuma. The move comes five years after the centre, which used to house Shoprite, an ANC constituency office and other shops, was looted and abandoned. Previously, Ithala said it did not have the money to revive the…

A decision by the eThekwini municipality to cancel a tender for cleaning public toilets at taxi ranks has left many ranks littered with human waste, engulfed in stench, and putting commuters at risk of infection. The issue started over a year ago when the ANC-EFF-IFP-NFP-run eThekwini municipality cancelled the cleaning services tender. Sources said this comes after the tender to clean the taxi ranks was flagged by the Auditor General (AG) as irregular. The AG flagged the tender after it…

The Laverna Private Hospital in Ladysmith in northern KwaZulu-Natal is being sued for alleged medical negligence that resulted in the death of a 35 year-old civil servant. The hospital which is owned by the Lenmed group is accused of having botched an operation on Mandisa Hlophe, a civil servant who hailed from Ezakheni township and worked for the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Transport. Hlophe was admitted to the hospital on April 4 this year to give birth through the C-section procedure.…

The police in KwaZulu-Natal have told the protesters who are demonstrating against alleged illegal immigrants in Durban that, while they have the right to protest, they must do so within the boundaries of the law. The warning follows videos circulating on social media that show some protesters assaulting people alleged to be illegal immigrants. As a result of the protests, nearly all shops owned by foreign nationals in the Durban city centre have been closed for the past three days.…

The Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) has directed some of its structures to swiftly conclude their internal elections and shift their focus to preparing for the upcoming local government elections, where it is expected to face off with the MK Party. In a statement issued after a meeting of the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC), the party said all outstanding branch inaugurations must be finalised by 31 May 2026. It said it has deployed leaders to districts to support, guide, and…