Cabinet recently named Ditsobotla as one of 45 municipalities in the country that are candidates for dissolution. The Portfolio Committee on Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs is now throwing its weight behind Cabinet’s resolution, adding that the sooner the North West MEC of Cooperative Governance, Human Settlements and Traditional Affairs, Mmoloki Cwaile, implements the decision, the better.

In a scathing statement the committee, led by chairperson, Faith Muthambi, says “there is no need for a municipality to exist if its main focus is on fighting internal political battles rather than providing basic services to its communities”. The municipality, which includes Lichtenburg, came to national attention when Clover announced that it would be closing down its factory in the area and moving it to Queensburgh near Durban in KwaZulu-Natal due to service delivery constraints. Muthambi and company have, however, singled out their May 2021 oversight visit and the events that came thereafter as signs that the situation at Ditsobotla is now dire.

In May, during an oversight visit, Ditsobotla failed to make a presentation before the committee due to the mayor, Daniel Buthelezi, being locked out of the municipal precincts by a “rival political faction”. Buthelezi did submit a report afterward in which he said that “the status of Council remains in question and that there are only three substantive senior managers available to run the whole municipal administration, namely the Chief Financial Officer, the Director of Corporate Services, and the Director of Planning and Development,” reads the statement. There have also been attempts to have Buthelezi removed as mayor, something he has challenged in the courts and won.

Furthermore, there is also the contentious issue of the provincial intervention team that was brought to the surface with the Chief Whip declaring that the team was not recognised by the municipality. The same municipality has been rejecting intervention from Premier Job Mokgoro’s office as far back as 2019, with OFM News reporting that issue was turning ugly.

OFM News