Thabazimbi municipality under threat of dissolution

The Thabazimbi local municipality in the Waterberg region of Limpopo has been threatened that it could be dissolved and its administration take over by the provincial |government.

But the DA has vowed to fight any move to hand over control of the council.

Limpopo premier Dr Phophi Ramathuba this week gave the council of Thabazimbi only seven working days to state as to why it should not invoke Section 139 (1) of the constitution.

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Report highlighted issues

The threat to the council – which is jointly run by the ANC and DA – follows long periods of political infighting.

Ramathuba said the decision to place the municipality under administration follows a comprehensive report presented to the executive council, highlighting persistent governance and management issues within the Thabazimbi municipality since 2022.

The report, she said, detailed dysfunction within the council.

She added these challenges have severely affected service provision to the residents of Tabazimbi.

“Despite previous interventions by the department of cooperative governance, human settlements and traditional affairs (Cogta) and the provincial Treasury, the situation has not improved,” Ramathuba said.

“The municipality is currently operating with two separate structures claiming to be the council, further exacerbating the governance crisis.”

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Additionally, the premier said the municipality faces substantial financial liabilities, including a debt of over R270 million to Eskom and the ongoing legal proceedings initiated by the Magalies Water Board to recover outstanding payments of over R190 million.

She added the municipality has not been able to adopt its budget for 2024-25 financial year on time and in line with the prescribed laws and regulations.

“The intervention is guided by several legislative mandates, including the Municipal Systems Act and the Municipal Finance Management Act, which obligates the provincial government to monitor, support, and strengthen municipal capacity,” she said.

“The assessment conducted by Cogta and the provincial Treasury revealed a total collapse of services, governance, and noncompliance with various legislative prescripts, necessitating this intervention.”

But the DA said “if the Limpopo government needs war, we will give it exactly that – a war”.

The council, run by the ANC and the DA, has a council speaker and a municipal manager each, running one municipality.

DA ready to fight

But the DA is prepared to fight. DA councillor Tokkie Swanepoel of Thabazimbi local municipality said:

“We want to remind the premier of the instructive court victory in the Supreme Court of Appeal in 2020 which set aside the Gauteng government’s decision to put the City of Tshwane under administration as a result of instability caused by the ANC.

“In this case, the court ordered ANC councillors to cease their disruptive behaviour and attend council meetings. As the DA, we will not hesitate to approach the courts to prevent the same in Thabazimbi.

“We will not back down. The days of putting political games ahead of the needs of the community must come to an end, and the DA will work towards that goal – no matter what hurdles the ANC put in our way,” said Swanepoel.

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