Future ‘looks bleak’ for Thabazimbi residents after going under administration

Parliament’s select committee on cooperative governance and public administration is visiting the beleaguered Thabazimbi local municipality this week to assess the situation after the Limpopo government placed the municipality under administration.

The committee included officials from the national department of traditional affairs, human settlements and water and sanitation.

Thabazimbi receives notice of dissolution

It followed the notice sent to the national council of provinces (NCOP) by the Limpopo executive council to invoke provisions of Section 139 (1) (c) of the constitution to dissolve the troubled Thabazimbi local municipal council.

The executive council has notified the NCOP of its intention to dissolve the municipality a fortnight ago.

The section mandates the provincial executive to notify the council when taking such an action.

According to Section 139(3)(b), the dissolution will take effect 14 days from the date of receipt of the notice, unless set aside by a Cabinet member or the NCOP before the expiry date.

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Committee chair Mxolisi Kaunda said the committee would be involved with all groups to determine if “exceptional circumstances exist to warrant the dissolution”.

The provincial executive, Kaunda said, cited governance and management challenges within the municipality as reasons for the decision.

“These challenges included a significantly dysfunctional council, two parallel structures, each structure with its own management team, a bankrupt municipality unable to pay creditors, including Eskom and Magalies Water, high vacancy rate in the senior management of the municipality and operation on an unfunded budget,” said Kaunda.

“In undertaking the visit, the committee is guided by the strong belief that municipalities must be viable and in a position to achieve the objectives of local government, as set out in Section 152 of the constitution.”

He said the residents of all municipalities in the country’s nine provinces deserved better, as well as quality services.

Any decision, Kaunda said, must be taken with the interest of the people at heart.

A long history of problems at municipality

The Thabazimbi municipality has been engulfed in political turmoil since the 2021 local government elections.

The council has had countless mayors and municipal managers in four years, owing it to protracted political power battle between political parties – mainly, the ANC, the EFF, Freedom Front Plus and the DA.

In all the fights, residents were at the receiving end, facing poor service delivery.

Thabazimbi Ratepayers Association chair Ben Muller said: “I was born in Thabazimbi and this is my 47th year in this beautiful town.

“Unfortunately, political squabbles, corruption and personal greed are killing our residents’ future.

“Placing Thabazimbi under administration is just as good as appointing wolves and their team of smaller jackals to watch over the bleeding sheep.

“Our Waterberg district municipality and its political regional comrades have no heart for this municipality and its people.

“All they want is to get their hands on is the money meant for services in order to line their pockets,” Muller said, adding that the future looks bleak for the municipality.

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