Leadership at Jozini Local Municipality has detailed a multi-pronged recovery strategy aimed at addressing longstanding financial mismanagement and escalating cross-border security concerns affecting residents in this northern KwaZulu-Natal community.
Executive Mayor Nkosinathi Myeni, who assumed office in May 2022, described inheriting a municipality in crisis: staff and councillors went unpaid, infrastructure projects lay abandoned, and service delivery had deteriorated across the area’s 23 wards. Jozini forms part of the uMkhanyakude District Municipality and shares porous borders with both Mozambique and Eswatini.
“We faced a critical condition when I took over,” Mayor Myeni stated. “But there is improvement now. We have managed to pay salaries for staff and councillors, and we have brought back contractors to complete projects.”
To stabilise municipal finances, leadership implemented strict cost containment protocols. Travel claims were suspended, non-essential events discontinued, and the use of hotels and catering services halted. Meetings with communities now utilise existing community halls rather than rented venues. These measures, combined with proactive debt collection, have yielded tangible results: approximately R16 million was recovered from the Public Works department, which had owed the municipality R21 million.
Financial governance reforms include the establishment of separate bank accounts for government grants and salary disbursements, designed to prevent fund misallocation and ensure project completion. While the Auditor General’s 2023/2024 report recorded fruitless and wasteful expenditure exceeding R14 million and irregular expenditure surpassing R140 million, the municipality achieved an unqualified audit opinion—though not a clean audit—with outstanding findings primarily related to supply chain management.
“We have implemented a committee to investigate irregular expenditure,” Mayor Myeni explained. “This includes cases where tenders were awarded to family members or associates without proper declaration. Those matters have been referred to council for accountability processes.”
On service delivery, the Mayor clarified that bulk water provision falls under the district municipality’s mandate. Jozini maintains two emergency water tanks to assist communities during funerals or crises. Road infrastructure, however, remains a local priority. Following severe December floods that destroyed roads and bridges, the municipality deployed locally-based contractors with heavy machinery to repair priority routes between January and March—without provincial or national support. Maintenance efforts are scheduled to continue from July onward.
Security challenges dominate daily life in Jozini due to its unsecured international borders. Mayor Myeni confirmed there is no physical barrier preventing movement between South Africa, Mozambique, and Eswatini. “If someone wants to enter Mozambique, they walk and get in. The same applies coming into South Africa,” he noted.
This permeability has enabled organised criminal networks to operate with relative impunity, engaging in vehicle hijacking, drug trafficking, smuggling, and illegal immigration. Residents report that perpetrators often flee across the border to evade arrest. Additionally, undocumented individuals from neighbouring countries access South African public services, including healthcare, with some allegedly collecting medication for resale abroad.
In response, Mayor Myeni engaged the Premier of KwaZulu-Natal, requesting special intervention. The provincial office subsequently provided drone technology to support police border patrols—a measure credited with reducing vehicle hijackings in the area. The South African Police Service has also deployed additional officers and specialised task teams. However, a national government project to construct a border wall remains incomplete, limiting long-term containment efforts.
Addressing allegations circulating on social media, Mayor Myeni responded directly to claims regarding financial misconduct. Concerning a reported R2 million irregularity, he explained the funds procured 200 sports kits for youth development programmes. The equipment was stored for planned June community games, not misappropriated.
Regarding a R6 million allegation linked to a bridge project, the Mayor clarified that the structure—located on a provincial road—received R13 million in disaster funding from the Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs department. An additional R7.6 million was recently approved to advance construction. With the total project estimated at R36 million, the municipality is contributing from its own resources. Work is ongoing under auditor oversight.
As November’s local government elections approach, Mayor Myeni emphasised that sustained progress depends on continued fiscal discipline, intergovernmental cooperation on border security, and community partnership. With high unemployment and widespread grant dependency in Jozini, residents remain eager to see tangible improvements in infrastructure, service delivery, and safety.