His visit to the cash-strapped Metro, which is under the national government’s care, comes as issues of service delivery and the conduct of the council are under the spotlight.

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The Metro says the Finance Minister is in the Metro to engage with the council about the work that has been done to stabilise the city. 

Godongwana is also set to discuss matters with the National Cabinet Representative team that he had earlier sent to the metro. His visit comes after trouble continues to mount for the Metro. The Metro could soon find itself with a new mayor at the helm of administration, with the ANC’s Mangaung Interim Regional Committee (IRC) and its upper structure, the Interim Provincial Committee (IPC), planning to oust Mayor Mxolisi Siyonzana.

ALSO READ: ANC Free State moves to recall Mangaung mayor

Sewer spillage is also proving to be the biggest Achilles heel for the metro. The Metro’s Acting City Manager (ACM), Tebogo Motlashuping, revealed that the decaying infrastructure, which was neglected for years, has since led to, among other things, massive sewage spillages across towns in the metro.

ALSO READ: Mangaung Metro’s infrastructure decaying after neglect

During President Cyril Ramaphosa's Imbizo, held in Bloemfontein in April 2022, the Minister of Water and Sanitation, Senzo Mchunu, revealed that the troubled metro is losing about 46% of its water, which could have been supplied to residents. Mchunu said this was due to water pipe leakages, which were neglected for years and not maintained or repaired.

ALSO READ: 'Mangaung loses 46% of its water due to leakages'

Earlier this year, the Metro failed on two occasions to adopt a budget set to address key issues of service delivery, among others, and recently failed to convene a special council sitting after officials failed to perform basic and necessary duties.

ALSO READ: Mangaung Metro’s council sitting collapsed

The National Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta), Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, described the Metro as a "messed up" municipality in April 2022, during President Cyril Ramaphosa's Imbizo in Bloemfontein.

ALSO READ: “Mangaung is messed up” - Dlamini-Zuma

In June 2022, the Auditor-General, Tsakani Maluleke, said the metro spent less than 2% of its infrastructure budget on repairs and maintenance.

"Unmetered consumption, theft and a lack of maintenance resulted in average water losses of 49% and electricity distribution losses of 20%.

Service delivery protests increased as residents grew increasingly dissatisfied with pothole-riddled roads, having to go for days without water, and refuse sometimes not being collected for weeks.

"Since projects were not completed, the communities’ needs were not addressed, which negatively affected their lives. We continued to identify and report material findings on compliance with legislation at all auditees, including in the area of procurement and contract management," Maluleke added.

ALSO READ: AG exposes Mangaung’s failed infrastructure maintenance

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