Central SA
Minister urges Ditsobotla officials to put residents first before politics─── KEKELETSO MOSEBETSI 14:06 Tue, 09 Sep 2025
The minister of cooperative governance and traditional affairs, Velenkosi Hlabisa, has called on the embattled Ditsobotla Local Municipality to rise above factionalism and personal interests, and to urgently prioritise the needs of its residents.
Hlabisa is visiting the ailing municipality on Tuesday (9/9) amid escalating concerns about persistent poor service delivery and deepening political instability. His visit comes in the wake of the cabinet’s decision to place Ditsobotla under Section 139(7) of the Constitution, allowing for national government intervention due to the municipality’s repeated failure to fulfill its executive obligations.
“I hope we will get better engagement once we are through. I am going to meet the premier now and the local leadership in the province. Then … we shall meet with councillors and go through the whole intervention.”
The Ditsobotla Municipality has gained notoriety in recent years as a symbol of dysfunction, often making headlines for political infighting, administrative collapse, and a near-total breakdown in basic service delivery. Garbage collection is sporadic, water and electricity supply unreliable, and internal disputes have frequently brought governance to a standstill.
Analysts have warned that the root causes of the crisis extend beyond simple mismanagement or disciplinary issues. They point to deep-seated factionalism within the ANC that has spilled into local governance, rendering the municipal council nearly unworkable.
The power struggles have not only paralysed decision-making but have also contributed to the resignation or removal of several municipal managers in quick succession. Despite the grim outlook, Hlabisa expressed cautious optimism.
“I’m very confident. I’m of the view that the provincial government wants to see this municipality working. Even most of the councillors, not all of them, are willing to see services going to the people.
“The cabinet is very clear that this municipality must work. Everybody should prioritise people, put aside factional issues, personal issues, but make people of this area the priority,” he added.
His visit also comes against the backdrop of broader instability across North West municipalities. Recently, another local government structure in the province was forced to halt services entirely due to infighting among councillors.
