Faku slammed for snubbing BCM public accounts committee meetings

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.

Families across Buffalo City say they are too afraid to visit the graves of their loved ones, as overgrown and poorly maintained cemeteries become crime hotspots where visitors risk being attacked. Across the metro, residents describe burial sites choked by long grass, broken fencing and a lack of basic upkeep. Funeral parlours say they are increasingly being targeted as the state of cemeteries deteriorate. At the Cambridge Cemetery, one of the worst-affected sites, a woman who visited on Wednesday said she no longer felt safe going alone. “My sister and I decided to call two male relatives to accompany us, as we were scared we would be attacked,” she said. She said the overgrown vegetation made it difficult to locate family graves. “It was a mission to find one of the tombstones … When we asked a municipal official, she said she would struggle to find where the tombstone was located because of how long the grass was.” Similar complaints have been raised at cemeteries across the metro, including Haven Hills, Buffalo Flats and Mtsotso in Mdantsane, where residents say conditions have deteriorated sharply. Community leaders and service providers say the state of cemeteries is fuelling crime. Mdantsane community policing forum leader Siyabulela Naka said they had received numerous reports of robberies at cemeteries, with criminals taking advantage of the dense vegetation. “The Cambridge, Haven Hills and Mtsotso cemeteries have been hotspots of crime activities. Robbers hijack or steal vehicles and hide them in cemeteries,” he said. Naka said funeral parlours had also become targets. “A funeral parlour in Mdantsane has become a victim of armed robbery. “They were robbed at gunpoint and had their vehicle and sound system stolen while they were setting up in the Mtsotso Cemetery,” he said. “There is a lack of security in all of these grave sites across the metro, which is concerning.” He said criminals were also vandalising graves and stealing tombstones. Pule Funeral Services owner Pule Majeng said his business had been targeted twice at the Haven Hills Cemetery. “These people come out from the bushes through the overgrown grass,” he said. “They ambush us with guns, and we have to give them whatever they want.” Majeng said conditions had become so unsafe that they no longer visited certain cemeteries without support. “On the days when we have to erect tombstones, we have to ask the crime forum to accompany us, especially in Mtsotso and Haven Hills cemeteries, because we are scared,” he said. “These robberies have affected my business.” They ambush us with guns, and we have to give them whatever they want Residents say they have increasingly been forced to maintain graves themselves. “We have made it our mission to come and clean once in a while, because BCM is failing us,” the Cambridge visitor said. At the Haven Hills Cemetery, graves are reportedly almost completely hidden by vegetation, while the Buffalo Flats Cemetery has become a dumping site. In the Mtsotso Cemetery, conditions have deteriorated further, with the site entangled in live electrical wires illegally connected by nearby residents. Resident Nombasa Potwana said the situation was driven by desperation. “We have no choice, because we are in need of electricity and the municipality has neglected us for a long time. “So we had to take matters into our own hands,” she said. The issue of poorly maintained cemeteries in Buffalo City is longstanding, with repeated complaints about overgrowth, inaccessible graves and inconsistent upkeep. Lemarc Stewart, councillor for ward 4 which includes Selborne, Highgate, Cambridge West, Chiselhurst and Berea, acknowledged the challenges, saying the municipality lacked sufficient resources. “The turnaround time for grass cutting is slow and pathetic,” he said, adding that contractors had been assigned to address conditions at the Cambridge Cemetery. Ward 19 councillor Shandre Hoffman said the situation pointed to deeper governance failures. Her ward includes Green Fields, West Bank, Fort Glamorgan and Buffalo Flats, among others. “Honestly, it’s very upsetting. Cemeteries are places of dignity and remembrance, yet many are overgrown and neglected. “It’s painful for families who go there to honour their loved ones,” she said. Hoffman said poor co-ordination between municipal departments was compounding the problem. “For example, the inside and outside of cemeteries are maintained by different directorates, often on different schedules, so one side is cut while the other is left overgrown. That just shows poor management,” she said. She said repeated concerns raised in council had yielded little change. “We have been raising this issue consistently at portfolio level. “Unfortunately, many of our questions remain unanswered, and even oversight visits meant to hold officials accountable don’t seem to have any lasting effect.” Hoffman called for urgent intervention, including a co-ordinated maintenance plan and better use of municipal resources. “Municipal equipment must be taken out of workshops and put to use, and there needs to be better alignment between departments,” she said. Buffalo City Metro spokesperson Bongani Fuzile said the municipality had begun addressing the issue following complaints, particularly at the Cambridge and Haven Hills cemeteries. “The directorate responsible is currently attending to the overgrown vegetation at both cemeteries. Staff are busy cutting at both cemeteries,” he said. Fuzile said cemetery maintenance was conducted quarterly, with Cambridge and Haven Hills last serviced in December 2025 and January 2026, respectively. “The team responsible started a second cutting quarterly cycle in mid-March and it is ongoing,” he said. However, he acknowledged several challenges affecting maintenance. “The department responsible faces challenges of inadequate security which results in frequent break-ins, theft of equipment and vandalism,” Fuzie said. He also cited operational setbacks such as equipment and vehicle breakdowns, as well as changing weather patterns that accelerated vegetation growth. “The other challenge experienced is constant breakdowns of equipment and fleet. “Climate change also poses a challenge in weather patterns where we have more rainfall outside the rainy seasons,” Fuzile said. The municipality confirmed there was no dedicated budget for cemetery maintenance, with staff required to balance upkeep alongside burials and exhumations. “There is no dedicated budget and maintenance is done by the cemetery staff who are also responsible for burials and exhumations,” he said. Fuzile said plans were under way to improve conditions, including introducing 24-hour security at cemeteries and reducing the grass-cutting cycle. Click here to join the Daily Dispatch’s WhatsApp channel and get the latest news delivered straight to your phone Daily Dispatch

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.

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.”

The Buffalo City Metro could host the Cosafa Cup for the first time, with talks under way to bring the 14-nation regional football tournament — including Bafana Bafana — to KuGompo City. The potential bid hinges on intended discussions between BCM and the Council of Southern Africa Football Associations (Cosafa), with the organisation understood to have already written to the metro regarding the possibility of staging the event in the city. This was revealed by Safa Eastern Cape competitions chair Eric Sandile Mata, who said Cosafa was seeking a meeting with the metro’s executive leadership. “Buffalo City, Nelson Mandela Bay and OR Tambo are municipalities that have the capacity to host big tournaments. Cosafa wants a meeting with the executive mayor,” Mata said. “They want to bring the Cosafa games here in KuGompo City, particularly to the Sisa Dukashe Stadium.” The Cosafa Cup is an annual regional competition featuring national teams from across Southern Africa, including Angola, Botswana, Comoros, Eswatini, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, Zambia and Zimbabwe, alongside hosts SA. The tournament is traditionally staged in June or July, though scheduling may be adjusted due to international competitions such as the Fifa World Cup. SA has been a regular host of the tournament since 2017. If the proposal materialises, it would mark the first time Buffalo City hosts the Cosafa Cup and the first international football matches in the metro since 2017, when Bafana Bafana played friendlies against Zambia and Angola at the Buffalo City Stadium. The Eastern Cape has previously hosted Cosafa matches in Nelson Mandela Bay, most recently in 2024 and 2021, when Bafana Bafana won the tournament. On those occasions, the Wolfson Stadium was primarily used for group stage matches, while the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium hosted knockout fixtures. Earlier editions of the tournament were also staged in the province, including in 2002 when matches were held at the now-defunct Boet Erasmus Stadium. Despite growing interest in the proposal, there is no formal confirmation yet that Buffalo City will host the tournament. Safa Buffalo City president Prince Sibam said the regional association had not received official communication on the matter. “We are aware of the discussions and the rumours, but there has been no formal correspondence to us as the region,” Sibam said. Provincial government spokesperson Andile Nduna said the province had also not been approached. “The last time they did was when the competition was in Gqeberha,” Nduna said. “They approached us late even then, and it was not in our budget for that year.” Buffalo City Metro spokesperson Bongani Fuzile did not respond to questions. Cosafa media manager Lynda Greef could not respond to queries by the time of publication. While uncertainty remains over whether the bid will materialise, business and tourism stakeholders have welcomed the possibility, citing the potential economic impact of hosting a major sporting event. The arrival of such a tournament in KuGompo City is not merely a sporting decision; it is a strategic economic intervention with the potential to unlock economic growth and job creation Black Business Forum president Luthando Bara said the tournament could have “meaningful economic and social implications” for the region. “The arrival of such a tournament in KuGompo City is not merely a sporting decision; it is a strategic economic intervention with the potential to unlock economic growth and job creation,” Bara said. “It will introduce direct economic participation for local businesses, especially key tourism products such as accommodation, caterers, eateries, transport operators, informal traders, among others. “This will represent a shift away from the traditional concentration of opportunities in established urban centres toward historically overlooked areas’” Bara said major sporting events often catalysed infrastructure upgrades, including improvements to roads, facilities and public spaces, which could support longer-term economic activity. “Hosting a tournament of this magnitude repositions the area as a viable destination for investment, tourism and large-scale events. “It presents an opportunity to reshape perceptions and tell a new story about the city,” he said. Women in Tourism Eastern Cape provincial chair Thandi Mkhanzana said the sector, which had not fully recovered from the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, stood to benefit from increased visitor numbers. “Hosting such an event in Buffalo City will have many positive economic spin-offs for many in the sector,” she said. Mkhanzana said tourism stakeholders in the metro were engaging with authorities on upcoming events, including preparations linked to the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup matches scheduled for 2027 in KuGompo City. Border-Kei Chamber of Business director Lizelle Maurice said major sporting events were key drivers of economic activity. “When players come, families, officials, fans and supporters will also come,” Maurice said. “Our airport, BnBs, restaurants and many other businesses would be busy. “If the metro can position itself as a sporting hub, that would be a step in the right direction in growing the region’s economic potential.” Buffalo City is already set to host matches during the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup in 2027, and stakeholders say securing the Cosafa Cup would further strengthen its position as a destination for major sporting events. In 2025, the Cosafa Cup was held in Bloemfontein, where Angola defeated Bafana Bafana 3-0 in the final at the Free State Stadium. Whether Buffalo City secures hosting rights will depend on the outcome of discussions between Cosafa, the metro and provincial authorities in the coming weeks. Click here to join the Daily Dispatch’s WhatsApp channel and get the latest news delivered straight to your phone Daily Dispatch

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.”

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