Buffalo City Metro mayor Princess Faku’s repeated failure to appear before the municipal public accounts committee (Mpac) forced the postponement of a special council meeting on Wednesday, after a key oversight report could not be finalised.
The meeting was abruptly called off just over two hours after it began and rescheduled for Thursday when it emerged that the report, central to the day’s agenda, was still outstanding.
Council chief whip Sangweni Matwele moved for the postponement, citing the absence of “some compliance reports”, including the Mpac report.
However, councillors across parties said the delay stemmed from Faku’s failure to attend a series of Mpac public hearings where she was expected to account for the operations of her office and the municipality.
The Mpac report, now set to be tabled on Thursday, states that the committee “observes with grave concern that the executive mayor did not attend the engagement sessions despite having submitted written responses”.
It said Faku’s actions “impact oversight negatively, as there is loss of direct accountability, inability to probe responses, undermining of Mpac’s authority, creation of disconnect between political and administrative accountability and in contradiction with constitutional principles”.
The report had previously been tabled in March without input from the mayor’s office and the BCM Development Agency and was rejected by the council as incomplete.
Mpac was instructed to hold public hearings with the mayor and resubmit a final report. Those engagements failed to materialise.
Faku was initially scheduled to appear on March 19 and again between March 23 and 26 but did not attend.
Another meeting on April 21 at the Mpekweni Beach Lodge, near Port Alfred, also collapsed, despite her presence, after the municipality failed to provide for the livestreaming of proceedings for public participation.
Mpac members described the meeting as a “fruitless and wasteful exercise”.
A further public hearing was scheduled for April 24 in Mdantsane, but Faku again did not attend, sending mayoral committee member Yomelela Tyali in her place.
Mpac was expected to consolidate its report after that engagement ahead of Wednesday’s council sitting, but the process remained incomplete, leaving the report unavailable for tabling.
The decision to postpone drew criticism from opposition benches, with some councillors questioning both the process followed and whether the report would be ready in time.
ATM councillor and Mpac member Mandisa Mashiya warned the report might not be ready by Thursday.
While the standard [Municipal Finance Management Act] requires Mpac to interrogate the annual report and hold public hearings to ensure accountability, this cycle was compromised by political manoeuvring and the mayor being evasive, despite a number of invitations being sent to her
— Anathi Majeke, DA chief whip
DA chief whip Anathi Majeke said the party had also opposed the postponement and questioned whether the Mpac report could be lawfully introduced at a reconvened meeting as it had not been circulated within the required 48-hour timeframe.
“As the [Wednesday] meeting was legally convened and constituted in accordance with the standing rules and orders, there was no rational or legal basis for its delay.
“Specifically, the absence of the Mpac report does not constitute a compliance failure sufficient to halt proceedings but rather reflects a broader pattern of failing to provide necessary documentation to councillors and the public, as required by law.”
At the centre of the impasse is Mpac’s oversight of issues raised in the municipality’s annual report, including R646.8m in unauthorised expenditure, failing infrastructure, continued reliance on consultants, lack of consequence management and persistent financial instability.
The DA said oversight process had been marred by tension between the mayor and Mpac, accusing the executive of avoiding accountability.
“While the standard [Municipal Finance Management Act] requires Mpac to interrogate the annual report and hold public hearings to ensure accountability, this cycle was compromised by political manoeuvring and the mayor being evasive, despite a number of invitations being sent to her,” Majeke said.
She said the process was further undermined when the Mpekweni meeting collapsed.
“This failure effectively excluded the community from the oversight process and delayed the legislative timeline.”
Metro spokesperson Bongani Fuzile said Faku “rejects any suggestion that delays in the MPAC process can be attributed to [her].”
“The delay in finalising the Mpac process cannot be attributed to the executive mayor. The annual report was dealt with through the section 129 oversight process, and council referred the report back for revisions as required by law and any suggestion that begin put blame to the executive mayor is not only mischievous but a distortion of facts.
“The relevant postponements were linked to committee scheduling and broader institutional commitments, not to any deliberate avoidance by the executive mayor.”
Fuzile said Majeke was a member of Mpac and part of its internal processes, adding “she is part of the successes and failures of Mpac”.
Responding to the failed Mpekweni meeting, he said: “If she [Majeke] was effective in her role as the Mpac member, the meeting at Mpekweni wouldn’t have been postponed in the presence of the executive mayor.
“Any fruitless and wasteful expenditure incurred as a result of the committee’s disorganisation, she is equally liable and accountable for such loss.”
Daily Dispatch
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