Responses to media enquiries sent to the group, known as the Mangaung Concerned Community (MCC), have been deferred multiple times since last week. 

The OFM News team is, however, aware that something is brewing between the two parties - the Mangaung Metro and the MCC - that could see a resurgence in some demonstrations in coming weeks. 

In early July, members of the pressure group stormed the Bram Fischer Building in Bloemfontein, demanding that the acting Mangaung Metro Mayor present them with the 2021/22 budget. The move initiated talks between the parties. 

READ: Pressure group storms into Metro's headquarters

Almost a month ago exactly, the Free State ANC’s Interim Provincial Committee (IPC) cautioned that dissolving a municipal council is no easy legal undertaking, notwithstanding that local government elections were at that stage on the horizon.

READ: Dissolving council is no easy undertaking - ANC IPC on Mangaung

Since that statement by the ANC IPC, the situation has taken an interesting turn. Former Deputy Chief Justice Dikgang Moseneke recently recommended - in the inquiry into ensuring free and fair elections during Covid-19 - that local government elections be deferred to early 2022 to ensure that herd immunity, pertaining to the Covid-19 contagion, can be reached. This is to safeguard free and fair elections. This development places the Free State Provincial ANC and government’s rationale that Mangaung Metro cannot be dissolved now due to “local elections being on the horizon”, into question. 

The Independent Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) has announced it will approach a court “of competent jurisdiction” to seek an order for the deferral of the local government elections to no later than February next year.

Meanwhile, Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality joined Matjhabeng in the Free State as the third and fourth highest contributors to unauthorised expenditure countrywide for the 2019/20 financial year. This was revealed in Auditor-General (AG) Tsakani Maluleke’s latest report on the 2019/20 local government audit outcomes, released on Wednesday 30 June. Matjhabeng and Mangaung metro incurred R1,5 billion and R1,17 billion in unauthorised expenditure respectively. This supports the assertion in the report that there is a lack of accountability in Free State municipalities and this creates a perpetual disrespect for regulations, resulting in the mismanagement of resources and lack of service delivery. Mangaung is also the second highest contributor to irregular expenditure with R1,60 billion incurred. This revelation comes amidst protest action and shutdowns in both Matjhabeng and Mangaung Metro recently.

Recently the MCC urged all residents in Bloemfontein, Botshabelo, Thaba’ Nchu, Dewetsdorp, Wepener and Soutpan to boycott paying rates and services until council is dissolved. It’s not known how many residents in the aforementioned city and towns have joined in on the silent demonstrations and boycotted paying their rates.

OFM News