Tag Archives: Human Settlements and Traditional Affairs (COGHSTA)

MECs for Finance and COGTA introduce the PER to the City of Matlosana

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Picture: North West MEC for Finance, Kenetswe Mosenogi, Executive Mayor of City of Matlosana, Fikile Mahlophe, PER, Dr Moatlhodi Dilotsotlhe, North West MEC COGHSTA, Gaoage Oageng Molapisi and Speaker of Matlosana, Stella Mondlana-Ngwenya/Supplied   

By OBAKENG MAJE

4 April 2026 – As part of the revised Provincial Mandatory Financial Intervention and Support Strategy, the North West MEC for Finance, Kenetswe Mosenogi and North West MEC for Cooperative Governance, Human Settlements and Traditional Affairs (COGHSTA), Gaoage Molapisi, introduced Dr Moatlhodi Dilotsotlhe as the Provincial Executive Representative (PER) to Matlosana Local Municipality. The deployment of Dilotsotlhe is effected in terms of Section 139(5)(a) and (c) of the Constitution, read together with Sections 146 and 147 of the MFMA.

Molapisi said it follows the determination that the municipality experienced serious financial distress requiring a mandatory Financial Recovery Plan (FRP), which remains a legally binding instrument. He further said the North West Provincial Executive Council has taken this decision for several compelling reasons to restore stability, good governance, and effective service delivery to the City of Matlosana.

“The North West Provincial Government (NWPG) is sending a clear and final message to the City of Matlosana Council that this is not merely a support mechanism. It is a binding framework for corrective action to create a stable, capable, and ethical municipality that delivers services to its people.

“This strengthened intervention is consistent with the constitutional principles of cooperative governance. It allows us to scale up our support and oversight in a manner that is both necessary and proportional to the deepening institutional control collapse we are witnessing,” added Molapisi.

He said to give effect to this strengthened intervention, the approved measures such as Amendment of the Terms of Reference must be implemented with immediate effect. Molapisi said the Terms of Reference will be amended to empower the PER to impose the FRP by fully assuming the functions and powers of the accounting officer.

“COGTA and Provincial Treasury, will immediately augment the intervention team with additional capacity in the critical areas of service delivery, governance, legal and technical and financial support of the PER.

“Quarterly technical “war room” meetings will be convened to rigorously review progress on the implementation of the FRP and other identified priorities,” he said.

Molapisi said he and Mosenogi will urgently engage with the political leadership of the municipality to clearly outline the objectives, expectations and the new terms of engagement between the intervention team and the council. He said they will submit a joint report to the executive council on the progress of this intervention.

Mosenogi said: “The PER is no longer a purely advisory figure, but a strategic oversight and enforcement agent acting on behalf of EXCO to ensure that recovery commitments are honoured and delays are addressed decisively to strengthen oversight, monitoring and enforcement of the Financial Recovery Plan.

“The municipality remains fully responsible for implementing the approved, complying with all financial restrictions and recovery measures, and submitting credible monthly progress reports to my office.”

She said the PER is also not going to work alone, but will be strengthened by terms of administrative capacity and support, jointly by the Provincial Departments of CoGTA and Treasury. Mosenogi said Dilotsotlhe has in excess of eleven years’ experience in senior management, having been in the local government environment as the Technical Lead (CoGHSTA), Provincial Executive Representative, Section 139(1)(c) Administrator, acting Municipal Manager, and Strategy Execution Consultant.

“He has also occupied senior management positions such as CEO, Chief Visionary Officer (Consultant) in the private sector. So, we call upon the municipality, as well as all stakeholders—the municipal administration, labour, business, and the community—to work with the intervention,” she said.

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Molapisi warns against poor performing developers

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Picture: The North West MEC for COGHSTA, Oageng Molapisi/Supplied  

By OBAKENG MAJE

19 March 2026- The North West MEC for Cooperative Governance, Human Settlements and Traditional Affairs (COGHSTA), Oageng Molapisi delivered a stern warning against poor performing developers during a community meeting, where he officially introduced the three developers tasked with constructing 1075 Breaking New Ground (BNG) units in Ikageng Extension 13.

Molapisi said the project, which is valued at over R230 million and set to break ground in April 2026, promises to be a game-changer for the community, eradicating informal settlements by replacing them with secure, decent homes by December 2027.

He further said the three appointed contractors were introduced to the community. During the meeting, Molapisi announced that the department will closely monitor their performance throughout the duration of the project.

“The department will not hesitate to terminate their contracts should they fail to meet the agreed completion timelines. We advise them to enlist additional capacity where necessary to ensure that the project is completed on schedule.

“We also indicated that the department has experienced challenges in the past with contractors who abandon projects or deliver poor-quality work. In order to address this challenge, the department has resolved to implement a strict milestone-based payment system, where contractors are paid according to the work they have completed,” he added.

Molapisi said if they fail to deliver, the department will be left with no option, but to terminate the contract and appoint a new contractor to complete the job. He also urged community members to cooperate with the contractors and ward councillors to prevent any disruptions which could delay the project.

“We have appointed three developers, two of whom are women and one man. This forms part of our deliberate effort to meet the 40% target for women-owned companies in government projects.

“By appointing women developers, we not only achieve the target but we also contribute towards the empowerment of women in the construction sector,’’ said Molapisi.

He emphasised that residents of Ikageng must be prioritised for local job opportunities throughout the duration of the project. Molapisi reaffirmed the department’s commitment to prioritise vulnerable groups, including women, older persons, child-headed households, and persons with disabilities, when allocating houses to beneficiaries.

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Northern Cape MEC for COGHSTA, Bentley Vass meets with Sol Plaatje Local Municipality whips amid mayhem

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Picture: The Northern Cape MEC for COGHSTA, Bentley Vass

By KEDIBONE MOLAETSI

12 March 2026- The Northern Cape MEC for Cooperative Governance, Human Settlements and Traditional Affairs (COGHSTA), Bentley Vass, today convened a meeting with the Whips of political parties represented in the Sol Plaatje Local Municipality Council after a special council sitting was unable to proceed due to disruptions. Vass, acting in terms of Section 154 of the Constitution which mandates that national and provincial governments support, strengthen and capacitate municipalities to manage their own affairs and perform their functions, expressed grave concern about the conduct of certain councillors, which led to the breakdown of the council meeting.

He further said the Whips presented challenges and proposed solutions to stabilise governance and the administrative leadership of the municipality. Vass added that the people of Sol Plaatje Local Municipality deserve a stable, functional and capable municipality that can deliver good quality services to our communities.

“Political differences must never come at the expense of the residents we serve. The council needs to find common ground and prioritise service delivery at both the administrative and council levels,” he said.

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Department shifts focus to integrated human settlements

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Picture: North West Premier, Lazarus Mokgosi hand over RDP houses to beneficiaries/Supplied

By REGINALD KANYANE

11 March 2026- The North West Premier, Lazarus Mokgosi, accompanied by the North West MEC for Cooperative Governance, Human Settlements and Traditional Affairs (COGHSTA), Oageng Molapisi, recently handed over six houses to rightful beneficiaries at Bokamoso and Thekwane villages in the Rustenburg Local Municipality.

Handing over the houses last Friday, Mokgosi said the gesture was not only about giving beneficiaries a roof over their heads, but also about restoring their dignity and ensuring that they have security, worth and a sense of purpose. He described this as an important aspect of living a dignified life.

“The handover came at the right time as we celebrate Human Rights, urging us to accelerate the fight against inequality and discrimination in all its forms. Government is prioritising housing developments that are fully integrated with infrastructure and social amenities.

“This approach aims to address historical spatial inequalities by ensuring that new housing developments have access to basic services and social amenities. This vision will only be realised, if all stakeholders adhere to the principles of the District Development Model (DDM),” he said.

Mokgosi further said for many years their focus has been on the number of houses built. He added that while this helped to reduce the housing backlog they are facing, they have realised that in doing so, they sometimes overlooked other basic services such as reliable water supply, sanitation and electricity.

North West MEC for COGHSTA, Oageng Molapisi, echoed the Premier’s sentiments, stressing that access to basic services remains a critical part of the government’s housing mandate.

“Our mandate as the department goes beyond simply building houses. It is about creating sustainable human settlements and improving the quality of life for residents by ensuring that they have access to basic services.

“Government now aims to ensure that new housing projects are connected to infrastructure and social amenities in order to create communities where residents can live, work and access services without being isolated,” he said.

Molapisi urged the beneficiaries to take care of their new homes, as they are investments for their future and that of their loved ones. He said this was made possible through strong coordination between local and provincial governments in an effort to create sustainable and integrated human settlements.

Irene Taunyana (79) pensioner, who had been living in a house built from precast walls, was one of the beneficiaries who received her house during the visit to Thekwane village. Taunyana, who was overjoyed, could not hide her excitement when she received her new home and sang at the top of her voice.

“This is a miracle. My life has just changed, and this generous gesture will help restore my health forever. What the government has done for me is a clear signal of how it cares about us, its citizens,” said Taunyana.

Meanwhile, out of a total of 250 housing units in Bokamoso, 161 houses have been built, while in Thekwane 43 houses have been built out of a total of 50 houses. The Department of Human Settlements has reaffirmed its commitment to providing citizens with adequate housing connected to essential services.

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Molapisi sends condolences to the Booi family following the death of their child

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Picture: The deceased, Onalenna Booi/Supplied

By OBAKENG MAJE

30 December 2025- North West MEC for Cooperative Governance, Human Settlements and Traditional Affairs (COGHSTA), Oageng Molapisi has sent his heartfelt condolences to the Booi family following the death of their child, Onalenna Booi (19). Onalenna passed away after undergoing the customary initiation at Dithakong village, in Mahikeng.

Molapisi said it is alleged that he was forcefully initiated and collapsed during the pass-out ceremony last weekend. He added that, Onalenna was certified dead at the home of the initiation principal.

“A case has been opened with the South African Police Service (SAPS) and no arrests have been made at this stage. We appeal for a speedy investigation to establish the cause of Onalenna’s death and to determine if all regulations as per the Customary Initiation Act of 2021 were followed.

“We send our deepest condolences to the Booi family and wish them strength during this difficult period. We also appeal to the SAPS to speedily investigate the circumstances that led to his tragic death,” he said.

Molapisi further said if the postmortem results indicate foul play, those responsible must be arrested immediately and face prosecution. He added that, where possible, the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) must impose a harsher sentence so that this serves as a deterrent to those who want to contaminate our sacred cultural practices.

“The death of Onalenna brings the total number of initiates who have died during this Summer Initiation Season to three. To date, the Provincial Initiation Coordinating Committee (PICC) has shut down seven illegal initiation schools and rescued 68 initiates.

“SAPS has effected six arrests, with all suspects charged with contravening Section 33 of the Customary Initiation Act of 2021. The pass-out of initiates began two weeks ago and will continue until all initiation schools close on 9 January 2026,” said Molapisi.

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Beneficiaries receive RDP houses in Concordia

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Picture: Northern Cape MEC Cooperative Governance, Human Settlements and Traditional Affairs (COGHSTA), Bentley Vass/Supplied

By REGINALD KANYANE

18 December 2025- As part of the Northern Cape’s 1 Billion Rand Housing Project launched in January 2024, the Northern Cape MEC Cooperative Governance, Human Settlements and Traditional Affairs (COGHSTA), Bentley Vass, handed over 10 of 29 houses to some of the beneficiaries of the Concordia 29 Housing Project, in the Nama-Khoi Local Municipality, in the Namakwa District. Vass was accompanied by the Executive Mayor of the Namakwa District, Mervin Cloete, and other local councillors from the District.

He further said these houses form part of the province’s broader commitment to accelerate housing delivery and improve the living conditions of communities across the Northern Cape by providing quality, dignified, and sustainable human settlements. Vass added that they are making rapid progress despite a slow start at the initial stages of this project.

“We are intolerant of non-performing contractors, as demonstrated by the recent termination of six contractors in four districts. In the past five weeks, we have delivered a total of 100 houses to beneficiaries as we continue to speed up progress. In the next two months, we anticipate delivering 310 more houses, and for the first phase of this project to be concluded by November 2026.

“We also planted trees at the houses of the beneficiaries as part of the greening and beautification of the project sites. The department ensures that completed houses are handed over immediately to prevent vandalism and enable families to occupy their homes without delay,” he said.

Several of the other beneficiaries expressed joy and gratitude upon receiving their keys, acknowledging how these new homes would change their lives and the lives of their families.

Meanwhile, one of the happy beneficiaries, Lezaan Witbooi said: “I am over the moon that I finally received the keys to my own house from our government and that this comes just a few days before Christmas. My four dependants and I are now having a proper house that we can call home, and that provides us with security and comfort.’’

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64 initiates rescued from illegal initiation schools

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Picture: One of the initiation schools set on fire/Supplied

By OBAKENG MAJE  

10 December 2025- The North West MEC for Cooperative Governance, Human Settlements and Traditional Affairs (COGHSTA), Oageng Molapisi has commended members of the Provincial Initiation Coordinating Committee (PICC) for their swift and coordinated response that led to the safe rescue of 64 initiates (male and female) and shut down of five illegal initiation schools, which operated in three districts.

Molapisi said the successful operation which began last week, resulted in rescuing 14 male initiates in the Dr Kenneth Kaunda District, 15 in Ngaka Modiri Molema District and 24 male initiates and 11 female initiates from bogus initiation schools.

“Our PICC members acted with precision and urgency.  We applaud their proactive approach in ensuring the safety of our initiates. We will leave no stone unturned in dealing decisively with unregistered and illegal initiation schools in the province.

“We urge communities and parents to remain alert and report any suspicious or unregistered initiation activities to authorities without delay. The PICC and the department have embarked on campaigns to make our people aware of the Customary Initiation Act and processes to follow to register the initiation school and comply,” he said.

Molapisi further said the time for complacency is over. He added that they are going to shut down all illegal schools and safeguard the lives of the young people.

“If you want to operate an initiation you must comply” concluded Molapisi.

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Child-headed family receives a newly-built house

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Picture: Child headed family received a newly-built house/Supplied

By REGINALD KANYANE

8 December 2025- Christmas came early for a child-headed family of five in Bodibe village, near Itsoseng. This comes after the family received the keys to their newly-built and fully-furnished house from the North West MEC for Cooperative Governance, Human Settlements and Traditional Affairs (COGHSTA), Oageng Molapisi.

The Koba family had been living in difficult conditions since losing both their parents. Their mother passed away earlier this year and their father died a few years ago.

The department approached one of its housing developers to assist the family by building them a home. The department partnered with Leano 87 Solutions to construct the new house as part of its mandate to create sustainable human settlements and improve people’s lives.

Kabelo Koba (25), the eldest of the family, explained that they had been destitute and struggling to make ends meet since the death of their parents. Of the five children, only two—Kabelo and Naledi (23)—receive the Social Relief of Distress (SRD) Grant, while Motheo (17), Boitshepo (7) and Kamano(3) receive the Child Support Grant.

The family has been surviving on these grants, which Kabelo said were not enough to sustain them.

“This is a great relief for us as a family because we will now live in peace without worrying about being chased away. We would like to thank the department and everyone who played a role in improving our lives,” he said.

Meanwhile, Molapisi stated that the government is committed to ensuring that the people of the North West receive the services they deserve. He said the department needs to strengthen coordination with all three spheres of government to speed up service delivery.

“The department is mandated to build houses for citizens, despite challenges related to housing development. As the department, we must ensure that we prioritise marginalised groups—women, child-headed families and people living with disabilities—to ensure they receive the necessary support and benefit from government services,” he said.

According to the Head of Department, Kgomotso Mahlobo, the Department of Social Development first alerted Human Settlements about the family’s plight. Mahlobo said Social Development also provided the family with food parcels as part of fulfilling children’s basic rights.

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Molapisi committed to deliver on his department’s housing mandate

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Picture: North West MEC for COGHSTA, Oageng Molapisi/Supplied  

By REGINALD KANYANE

1 December 2025- The North West MEC for Cooperative Governance, Human Settlements and Traditional Affairs (COGHSTA), Oageng Molapisi has affirmed that his department will make sure it delivers on its constitutional mandate of providing citizens with sustainable, integrated human settlements and ensuring effective service delivery of public infrastructure, which is crucial for economic growth and social justice.

Speaking recently during the National Council of Provinces’ visit in the North West Province, Molapisi acknowledged that the department is currently faced with many challenges hindering its housing mandate, this includes housing backlog, stalled projects, issues with bulk infrastructure capacity in municipalities and poor workmanship by some contractors.

He further said his department is driving a focused approach to deliver houses for vulnerable communities. Molapisi added that the department has identified project preparation and oversight as key areas of focus.

“As a department, we have initiated several strategies to improve performance and ensure effective delivery of sustainable human settlements. For the current financial year, we are utilising 80% of the budget to unblock stalled housing projects across the province. Only 20% is used for new projects.

“The upgrading of informal settlements is also an important area, which is also getting attention. He said the department is working closely with municipalities to address this matter, which includes access to water, sanitation and electricity. Our approach is respect to local and district municipalities as another sphere of government,” he said.

Molapisi said they are collaborating with municipalities and not taking the big brother posture. He said it is municipalities that at their own council decide to agree on their interventions towards achieving service delivery.

“We will continue to institutionalise the District Development Model (DDM) by effectively taking part in Intergovernmental Relations Forums, which include our MUNIMEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA), and Human Settlements respectively.

“Through the interventions aligned to Section 154 of the Constitution, we are going to support and strengthen the capacity of our municipalities so they will be able to manage their affairs, exercise their powers, and perform their functions effectively. Lastly, we want to emphasise a partnership with the Provincial Treasury and South African Local Government Association (SALGA) and the continued close working relationship with the North West House of Traditional and Khoi-San leaders to discuss issues affecting their communities,” said Molapisi.

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Vass handover houses to beneficiaries of Dalton 100 housing project

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Picture: Northern Cape MEC for COGHSTA, Bentley Vass handing over houses/Supplied

By OBAKENG MAJE  

25 November 2025- As part of the Northern Cape 1 Billion Rand Housing Project for the Northern Cape, the Northern Cape MEC for Cooperative Governance, Human Settlements and Traditional Affairs (COGHSTA), Bentley Vass, handed over a total of 10 houses to some of the beneficiaries of the Dalton 100 Housing Project in Douglas. Vass was accompanied by the mayor of Siyancuma Municipality, Patrick McKlein and the municipal speaker, Johannes George.

“Today, we are here in Dalton, Douglas, to hand over ten houses to beneficiaries from this project in Siyancuma Municipality. We are happy with the quality of the houses and that we can deliver on the commitment of the government to house the nation.

“We continue to call on all our contractors across the province, to speed up the pace of building these houses, so that more beneficiaries can receive keys to their houses for security and comfort,” he said.

Vass further said the construction work is continuing on the Dalton 100 Housing Projects and many others across the province, as part of the 1 Billion Rand Housing Project.

One of the beneficiaries, Sanna Letele (81) received the keys to her house. Letele said she is happy because her family including her children and three grandchildren have a proper roof over their heads.

“We will be moving out of this shack. I cannot thank the government enough for restoring my dignity,” she said.

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