31/01/2026
ANCYL STATEMENT OF THE ANCYL RTT MBUSO KUBHEKA REGION .
The African National Congress Youth League [ANCYL] in Mbuso Kubheka is disgusted by the on-going state of governance in Municipalities led by the Inkatha Freedom Party [IFP] across the Region. The IFP-led Municipalities of Amajuba District and Newcastle have been on the spotlight for all the wrong reasons, culminating into the national embarrassment that was seen on Wednesday, 28 January 2026. Both Amajuba District Municipality and Newcastle Local Municipality dismally failed to account on a number of issues raised, which prove our previous resolve that these Municipalities are led down the drain.
The ANC Youth League has consistently raised the dismal failures of the IFP in our Municipalities because all what is happening directly affect young people of the District who are at the receiving end of unemployment, poverty and inequality. The areas of concern as raised with the Municipalities:
1. Corruption
It is clear that Amajuba District and Newcastle Municipality are the centres of corruption, mismanagement of public resources, financial misconduct which directly affects young people who are intended beneficiaries of the services provided by Municipalities.
The Mayor of Newcastle is alleged to be the referee and a player as he is doing business with the same Municipality he is supposed to be leading where he is owning trucks that are hired by the Newcastle Muncipality.
2. Governance failures
In Newcastle, there is no Deputy Mayor because the current Mayor has turned the Municipality into his own spaza shop where he is the chairperson of all committees, including those that are supposed to be handled by the Deputy Mayor.
In Amajuba, the Mayor and the Deputy were elected in an unlawful and unconstitutional meeting. These matters were raised by the ANC Youth League. We are pleased that the Pietermaritzburg Curt has decisively declared the meeting of 20 May 2025 null and void. As we speak, there is no Mayor or Deputy Mayor in Amajuba District Municipality which shows that under the IFP, governance has collapsed.
We call on our mother-body, the African National Congress [ANC] to work with strategic and progressive political parties in Amajuba District Municipality to form credible, accountable and responsible government to take service delivery forward.
3. Nepotism
As young people of Mbuso Kubheka Region, we are disgusted by the high level of nepotism in Newcastle Local Municipality and Amajuba District Municipality where young people who have applied for internships and job opportunities are forced to be members of the IFP or be in a relationship with the leaders and Councillors of the IFP in order to access opportunities that belong to them.
They are even using students from Majuba Tvet college to register for local government elections while students are looking for better education,IFP is not for change but for exploitation of our marginalized people.
We call on young people across the Region to unite in action and demand fair distribution of opportunities in Muncipalities without being forced to sleep with old IFP Councillors. As the ANC Youth League, we are actively fighting against Gender-Based Violence [GBV] and we will not allow the IFP to be known perpetrators of GBV with no consequences. We will also be accompanying young people who have decided to open criminal cases against these barbaric acts of the IFP leadership in our Region.We are also calling upon community policing forum structures ,CPF,YCPD&CCPA to come on board and ensure they fight against this barbarism happening in Newcastle.
4. Poor service delivery
Under the IFP, there is no service delivery in the Region. The poor state reflects the lack of leadership and proper administrators in all Municipalities led by the IFP. Among other concerns of service delivery include:
v Poor state of roads with potholes everywhere, including in the Newcastle CBD.
v Water crisis, leading to water-shedding
v Unhealthy environment due to no lack of water collection in residential and business areas
v Unemployment, which severely affects young people
It is clear that under the IFP, young people are neglected an left in the periphery. We call on young people to unite an take action against the injustices that are perpetuated by the IFP. The future belongs to young people, and we dare not fail in rescuing young people from the bondages of IFP corruption, maladministration an nepotism.
The ANC Youth League will be rolling-out a number of programmes to respond to these challenges with the details of each activity to be communicated in due course.
REGARDS
Siphosethu Mkhwanazi
Regional Convener
+27 662303008
SYABONGA MBOKAZI
REGIONAL COORDINATOR
0681533635
