THE DA yesterday reacted angrily to reports that certain municipalities will be realigned before the coming local government elections next year.

THE DA yesterday reacted angrily to reports that certain municipalities will be realigned before the coming local government elections next year.

"The DA in the province has expressed reservation after reports last week that several KwaZulu-Natal municipal boundaries might be realigned," DA local government spokesperson George Mari said.

Any shifting of boundaries to enable the ANC to win wards would not be condoned by the DA, Mari said.

He said the move was spearheaded by cooperative governance MEC Nomusa Dube.

Dube's spokesperson, Lennox Mabaso, said the department was amazed that the DA was commenting on hearsay without any official documents on the table.

"We think any issue that has to do with wards must be discussed with the demarcation board," Mabaso said.

"No official document has been issued by the government.

"The DA is simply responding to media reports."

Mabaso said the matter should be taken up with the demarcation board, not the department of cooperative governance.

Mari said he would welcome the realignment of certain municipalities, particularly those without a rates base, to make them larger and financially viable.

The majority of KwaZulu-Natal municipalities failed to deliver services to communities because of corruption, mismanagement, nepotism and incompetent municipal officials, Mari said.

"Municipalities have failed to utilise funds allocated to them for service delivery.

"Any realignment must also take into account the failure of municipalities to implement the Property Rates Act and collect rates and services charges," Mari said.

Mari called on Dube to table all the proposals at local government portfolio committee level, prior to any changes being made. - Sapa