Central SA
DA, ActionSA criticise ANC reshuffle in Free State municipalities─── REFILWE BEKANE 16:00 Fri, 22 Aug 2025
A major shake-up in the leadership of several Free State municipalities has ignited strong criticism from opposition parties, who view the move as a tacit admission of failure by the ruling party.
The ANC this week removed mayors and speakers in six municipalities, including Mafube, Ngwathe, Letsemeng, Masilonyana, Tswelopele, and Nketoana. These changes follow years of financial mismanagement and a dramatic decline in public services.
ActionSA argued the removals do not go far enough, describing them as a mere reshuffling of individuals without addressing systemic issues of corruption and poor governance that have long plagued the province. Communities have endured a collapse of essential services, including infrastructure decay, water supply problems, and power outages.
The party called for a full, independent investigation into financial misconduct in these municipalities, demanding accountability for those responsible and an immediate plan to stabilise governance and restore services to residents. The government continued to prioritise its own interests over the welfare of the public, it said.
Meanwhile, the DA insisted the ANC’s actions confirm the party’s long-held position that the ruling party is the primary cause of the collapse of local government in the Free State. “The ANC is the cause of the collapse in local government in the Free State,” said Free State DA Cogta spokesperson David McKay.
McKay stressed the need for consistent, meaningful reforms, including the placement of qualified individuals in key roles, the elimination of corruption, and the prosecution of those guilty of financial wrongdoing.
Not a single local municipality has received a clean audit from the Auditor-General in more than seven years, he said. “According to the Auditor-General’s annual Municipal Finance Management Act reports, no local municipality in the province has received a clean audit in over seven years,” said McKay.
The DA attributes the province’s struggles to a combination of corruption, incompetence, and the ANC’s policy of deploying party loyalists to key positions. The upcoming elections are a decisive chance for residents to choose a new direction for the province, said the DA.
