The Select Committee on Cooperative Governance and Public Administration (Traditional Affairs, Human Settlements and Water & Sanitation) conducted a fruitful interaction yesterday with external and internal stakeholders within the Thabazimbi Local Municipality. The committee is of the view that the inputs made will assist its consideration of the intention by the Limpopo Executive Council to invoke provisions of Section 139 (1) (c) of the Constitution to dissolve the Thabazimbi Local Municipality Council.
"What will be central to our deliberations and recommendation to the National Council of Provinces (NCOP), as per Section 139 (3)(b), is to protect the interests of the residents of the municipality and ensure that quality service delivery is achieved. It is important that a municipality is functional and able to implement the objects of local government, as set out in Section 152 of the Constitution," said Mr Mxolisi Kaunda, the Chairperson of the committee.
The committee's preliminary assessment is that the municipality is dysfunctional, with parallel council and management structures that lead to governance and management challenges. These challenges affect the ability of the municipality to provide adequate service delivery to residents.
The committee was also alarmed by the inclination of the various groupings within the municipality to use resources that could otherwise be used for service delivery to pay their legal fees. "These legal actions do nothing to enhance the quality of lives of the people of Thabazimbi and robs them of financial resources that should have been better invested in delivering quality service delivery," Mr Kaunda said.
The low staff morale in the municipality is also concerning, with the municipality withholding the salaries of some officials and preventing some from entering the municipal offices. The vacancy rate, especially within the Section 57 of the Municipal Systems Act, is also concerning in the context of the central role those managers play in driving the municipality's strategic objectives. Furthermore, the fact that the acting managers appointed on 25 May 2024 for a period not exceeding three months failed to meet the legislated prerequisites, as prescribed, belies the national government's intention to professionalise and build a capable local sphere of government.
It is also concerning that the municipality is unable to adequately spend its Municipal Infrastructure Grant, which aims to eradicate municipal infrastructure backlogs in poor communities to ensure the provision of basic services such as water, sanitation, roads and community lighting. The committee was informed that the municipality had only spend 40% of its grant by the end of June 2024.
"This is an indictment for the municipality in the light of dilapidated infrastructure, which is supposed to play an enabling role for economic development and job creation," Mr Kaunda suggested.
The committee is also alarmed that there is no tangible plan to address the municipality's escalating debt to Eskom and Magalies Water, as payment for services is the bedrock of continued provision of quality services. The committee heard that the municipality owes R304 million to Eskom and R198 million to Magalies Water. The municipality has proposed a payment arrangement with Magalies Water; however the deal was deemed unacceptable as it does not address the critical issue of the escalation of debt.
The committee is also concerned that despite the willingness of the local business forum to work with the municipality to enhance investment in the municipality, these positive advances have not been exploited by the municipality.
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The committee considers the council dysfunctional, as it cannot sit to make the necessary council resolutions. This cripples governance within the municipality. In addition, critical committees such as the Municipal Public Accounts Committee (MPAC) are also not functioning, which poses serious governance risks for the municipality.
Meanwhile, the committee applauds the support given to the municipality by the MEC of the Department of Co-operative Governance, Human Settlements and Traditional Affairs and the South African Local Government Association (SALGA), even though the municipality has not paid its subscription fee to SALGA.
Following the interaction with stakeholders, the committee will today deliberate on the appropriateness of the intervention and will make a recommendation for consideration by the National Council of Provinces.
