Ditsobotla spokesperson, Pius Batsile, says the briefing will begin at 11:00 at the Municipal Council Chamber in Lichtenburg less than 70kms away. According to Batsile, the council wishes to provide the latest on implementation of the intervention. Ditsobotla has been under administration since September 2018. The municipality is allegedly not happy with the administrator and demand that Premier Job Mokgoro withdraw the official. Mokgoro is, however, not budging on the matter. The municipality alleges there have been no improvements since the intervention. 

On July 1, the council had to step in to arrange a payment agreement with Eskom over the municipality’s more than R 430 million bill just to keep the lights in the area on. He says the provincial government has failed to do anything about this mounting bill. Then Premier, Job Mokgoro, accused the council of deliberately ignoring intervention, even barring the administrator from entering the municipal offices.

On July 4 a meeting with the provincial government, which was meant to ascertain what the current challenges in Ditsobotla are, became chaotic as councillors wanted Mokgoro to explain statements made to the media that they were not complying with intervention efforts. The meeting went nowhere and was concluded. The DA in the province vows to keep a watchful eye over newly appointed Madibeng administrator Johnny Motlogelwa’s intervention efforts in the municipality. There is no reference to the situation in Ditsobotla, which appears to be worsening.

OFM News