This comes as the national government escalates its intervention, citing continued political instability, financial collapse, and a near-complete breakdown in service delivery. Since the municipality was dissolved in September 2022 and reconstituted three months later, Ditsobotla has failed to recover.

Instead, it has spiralled further into dysfunction, adopting unfunded budgets for five consecutive years, amassing over R1.6 billion in unpaid creditors, and defaulting on payments to both Eskom and its employees. Despite court-ordered financial recovery measures, none have been implemented.

Basic services remain unreliable or nonexistent. Water and electricity supply are inconsistent, waste management is non-compliant, and infrastructure projects have come to a standstill. Revenue collection is critically low, eroding the municipality’s ability to operate effectively.

Minister of cooperative governance and traditional affairs (Cogta), Velenkosini Hlabisa visited the municipality last week, warning that continued political deadlock will force the hand of the national government. 

“I’m saying that’s the last resort because we communicated it to them,” Hlabisa told the media during his visit. “So now we are giving them 14 days. 

“When 14 days come to an end, we will definitely communicate to the public that they couldn’t cooperate, or they cooperated but there was a stumbling block, which might necessitate an extension of time. I want the media to communicate the same message that in the next 14 days, the political parties involved will demonstrate cooperation to resolve the issue of the mayor, the issue of the speaker, and the national cabinet’s representative will resolve the issue of the municipal manager.”

Credibility at stake

Hlabisa made it clear that the cabinet would not hesitate to take decisive action as the people of Ditsobotla cannot live at a standstill, held ransom by councillors who are not willing to cooperate.

The North West provincial executive council’s previous intervention, conducted under Section 139(5) of the Constitution, failed to restore functionality or stability. Now, the national government is invoking Section 139(7), assuming control over the municipality’s executive functions, in collaboration with the national treasury and relevant departments.

The crisis has also attracted legal action from civil society and business organisations, further pressuring the government to act decisively. Hlabisa underlined that the intervention is not merely about taking power away, but about restoring credibility, functionality, and trust in this municipality.

The representative of the cabinet, former director general in the Free State, Kopung Ralikontsane, has been deployed to Ditsobotla, backed by a multi-disciplinary team of governance, financial, and service delivery experts. Their mandate includes:

• Implementation of a comprehensive financial recovery plan, developed with the national treasury.
• Oversight of all municipal finances and procurement processes, with the cabinet’s representative assuming full control.
• Deployment of technical and governance support through the Municipal Infrastructure Support Agent (MISA) and other partners.
• Establishment of a joint operations task team comprising the South African Police Service, the State Security Agency, the department of justice, and the National Prosecuting Authority to investigate allegations of corruption, maladministration, and irregular appointments.
• Institutional reform, including reversing irregular staff appointments and stabilising political leadership.

Despite the persistent challenges, several national and provincial support mechanisms have already been rolled out:

• Ongoing technical and oversight support from Cogta, the province, and sector departments.
• Deployment of a provincial executive representative team, providing expertise in governance, finance, and administration.
• Targeted training has been provided since the 2021 elections for councillors, municipal finance officials, members of the municipal public accounts committee, and representatives of organised labour forums.
• Skills audits and employee verification to root out irregular appointments.
• Priority inclusion in the municipal performance and turnaround strategy, with Ditsobotla identified among the ten most distressed municipalities nationally.

Hlabisa stressed that political parties within the council must demonstrate cooperation or risk further escalated intervention by the national executive. He put it bluntly that this is no longer about politics, but about the lives and dignity of the people of Ditsobotla.

OFM News/Kekeletso Mosebetsi mvh