MSUNDUZI Speaker Eunice Majola has quietly vacated the council house which she allegedly illegally occupied for the past two years, citing the ill-treatment “I have been getting from the municipality”.
This was revealed in a letter she wrote in November to “whomever it may concern” but only revealed by EFF to this journalist on Friday.
The DA and EFF had for years been putting pressure on the council to investigate Majola for the allegations that she occupied a council property at 50 Cleland Road in the Hayfields suburb of Pietermaritzburg.
In the letter believed to have been addressed to the municipality management, Majola alleged that she had been getting ill-treatment from the municipality since late 2023.
“However, the worst incident that made me to be left with no choice but (to) vacate the property is what happened on the 11th of November 2024, when the EFF members led by EFF Provincial Treasurer, councillor Chuma Wakeni.
“They forced me to let them inside the property, intimidated me in front of SAPS members, they invaded my privacy, my safety and the safety of my children was compromised,” read the letter.
She said the EFF’s action made her feel “very unsafe”.
She said she vacated the property in December.
Wakeni said Majola addressed the letter to the “officials of the housing department” of the municipality with whom she had signed a contract to be a tenant.
Municipality spokesperson Ntobeko Ngcobo has not responded to questions sent to her, including to confirm the letter. Majola has also not answered her phone, which does not have WhatsApp.
Majola has from 2022 “illegally” rented the suburb house belonging to the municipality, and was alleged to have jumped the queue of other people who had applied to the city for rental homes.
Her occupation of the house led to the establishment of a forensic investigation whose report, released to the council by then-municipal manager Lulamile Mapholoba in 2023, stated that it was wrong for her to do so.
Previous efforts by opposition parties, including the African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP), to pressure Majola out of the property and be held accountable fell flat.
However, upon assuming his role as the EFF caucus leader in the council, Wakeni put up a strong fight to get Majola out of the property, which she as a councillor was not allowed to occupy.
It remained unclear what gave Majola the right to occupy the house, but the Code of Conduct for councillors, which is contained on the Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs’ website reads: “A councillor may not use, take, acquire or benefit from any property or asset owned, controlled or managed by the municipality to which that councillor has no right.”
The investigation had concluded that Majola had also violated Section 160 of the Constitution.
“According to the Municipal Structures, Systems Act, and the MFMA, Clls Majola is a member of the Municipal Council… She is therefore part of the body that is the custodian of the assets of the municipality.
“Councillors therefore cannot be tenants thereto.
“There is no provision in the Government Notice 2 June 2022 for councillors to rent municipal property,” read the forensic report.
According to the report, then-human settlements head Radha Gounden, who was dismissed for financial misconduct, had wrongly authorised Majola to occupy the house on the basis that “any person that receives a pay slip from the municipality is regarded as staff”.
“They (councillors) are members of the Municipal Council. He (Gounden) therefore applied the incorrect policy when allocating 50 Cleland Road for the rental to Cllr Majola,” read the report.
According to DA councillor Suraya Reddy, the house was part of the municipality’s Caravels Park and used to be occupied by the park’s manager.
However, after the park was shut down, the municipality rented the property out to a tenant who later moved out after struggling with the rent, leaving it in a state of neglect.
Reddy previously said the municipality later moved in to clean the property and also revamped the house “at the cost of the ratepayers’ money”.
Reddy said Majola signed a rental agreement with the municipality, which amounted to more than R5 000 monthly.
“It is like a fully-fledged beautiful house, and she is renting only R5 000 to stay there and has transferred light and water to her name.
“She pays for water and electricity because she did the transfer,” said Reddy last year.
Wakeni said even though Majola had vacated the property, she was still not off the hook as she still has to be held accountable for her action.
“She has not admitted on any wrongdoing, instead she blames the EFF and Chuma for threatening her.
“This matter cannot be put to rest as we previously said that the matter must come before the council and we are still waiting for that.
“We want her to resign as the Speaker and we are pursuing the matter, and the fact that she has been renting R5 000 for a property worth R15 million tells you that there is an abuse of power,” she said.
The story would be updated upon receiving a response from the municipality.
bongani.hans@inl.co.za