This, as the financially troubled Madibeng Local Municipality in the North West and the Nama Khoi Municipality, as well as the Ga-Segonyana Municipality, in the Northern Cape are set to be part of the 15 municipal ward by-elections scheduled to take place across the country on Wednesday. 

The wards in these three municipalities in Central South Africa all became vacant as a result of their councillors' deaths. The municipalities are amongst those cited in the Auditor-General's report as those still battling to provide services to their residents. 

OFM News has previously reported on how the Madibeng Local Municipality is still being crippled by its VBS investments. The municipality is amongst the four infamous North West municipalities that have invested more than R314 million of taxpayers’ money with the now liquidated VBS Mutual Bank.

A report titled "The Great Bank Heist" by advocate Terry Motau has illustrated how billions were looted from the bank and how municipalities’ investments with the bank were contrary to the Municipal Financial Management Act (MFMA), as VBS Mutual Bank was not registered as a bank in terms of the Banks Act.

It was found that the Madibeng Local Municipality invested R31 million of their conditional grant.

With the North West municipality still embroiled in VBS Mutual Bank controversy and Northern Cape municipalities are plagued by service delivery issues, expectations are high that the elections will be hotly contested.

Meanwhile, the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) has indicated their state of readiness for by-elections in these municipalities as well as those in the Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, Mpumalanga as well as the Western Cape.

OFM News