In a decisive move to address a chronic collapse in governance, Cooperative Governance Minister Velenkosini Hlabisa has announced a high-level, six-member team will take direct control of the Ditsobotla Local Municipality in the North West.
The intervention follows a meeting between Minister Hlabisa, the provincial government, the municipal council, and the South African Local Government Association (SALGA), where he communicated the national cabinet’s decision to invoke Section 139(7) of the Constitution. This powerful clause allows the national executive to assume responsibility for a municipality when a provincial intervention has failed.
The Ditsobotla Municipality has been plagued by a long history of severe financial mismanagement and political instability, rendering it unable to meet its statutory obligations and provide basic services to residents. Minister Hlabisa noted that various provincial interventions over the past decade have failed to resolve the deep-seated problems.
The newly appointed team will assume all executive powers of both the provincial government and the municipal council. Its mandate includes overseeing the appointment of all service providers and employees, with a specific focus on reversing all illegal appointments.
“The national cabinet representative is going to deal with the issue of the municipal manager. If found not done correctly, he will have to ensure that the correct process is being done,” stated Minister Hlabisa. He emphatically added that “there will be no appointment that will be done without being approved by the national cabinet representative.”
In a significant escalation, the national government will also integrate a multi-agency law enforcement team to tackle alleged criminality within the municipality. This team will include members of the South African Police Service (SAPS), the State Security Agency (SSA), and the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA).
“Once the DG has finalized the process, they will constitute a team and this team [will ensure] all the cases that were open and not followed up will be followed up. Where criminal charges were laid but nobody was arrested, this team will ensure that the arrest is made,” the Minister said.
While the intervention has been widely welcomed by stakeholders, residents are demanding instant change. One resident expressed cautious optimism, stating, “We believe it’s going to be a key factor in order to restore the dignity… of the institute in order for us to receive the necessary important services.” Another hoped the move would bring employment and significant improvements.
A representative from SALGA welcomed the move, calling it a time for all stakeholders to “hold hands and deliver to the people.” The representative challenged the local leadership to “embrace this intervention” and support democracy.
A community representative highlighted the failure of previous provincial efforts, noting that experts deployed last year failed to submit the municipality’s Annual Financial Statements (AFS) to the Auditor-General. “So now we think that the national government will push them to make sure that the municipality is submitting the AFS,” the representative said.
The national government has concurrently given the fractured Ditsobotla Municipal Council 14 days to resolve the issue of two competing mayors and a speaker who were not properly elected.
