By OBAKENG MAJE
30 April 2025- The uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MKP) in the North West said it strongly condemns the continued administrative paralysis and lack of governance across multiple municipalities in the province. The uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MKP) said recent placement of Kagisano-Molopo Local Municipality under Section 139(1)(a) is yet another indication of a systemic collapse that has become a norm under the ANC-led government.
Umkhonto weSizwe Party provincial convenor, Alfred Motsi said they call for the immediate and total dissolution of the embattled Ditsobotla, Kagisano-Molopo, Madibeng, Matlosana, Moses Kotane and Mamusa Local Municipalities. Motsi said these municipalities have become synonymous with instability, maladministration, and deliberate evasion of accountability.
“Year after year, some of them are placed under administration without any lasting solutions—proof of a governance system that is both broken and deliberately kept dysfunctional.
“The ANC continues to use its majority in municipal councils to shield corrupt officials and councillors from accountability. Investigative reports—particularly close-up reports—are consistently left incomplete or are never tabled at all, because they expose deep-rooted corruption and incompetence among both senior officials and ANC councillors,” he said.
Motsi further said this is not just negligence—it is a deliberate and strategic cover-up. He added that they demand the immediate resignation of the North West Premier, Lazarus Mokgosi and the North West MEC for Cooperative Governance, Human Settlements and Traditional Affairs (COGHSTA), Oageng Molapisi.
“They continued a tenure that only served to maintain the decay and dysfunction. They, along with many other provincial leaders and administrators, have failed to serve the people of North West with the dignity and urgency they deserve.
“It is time to clean the house. All officials and councillors who have consistently failed to deliver basic services, mismanaged resources, and ignored the cries of our people must go,” said Motsi.
He said the people of the North West deserve clean, transparent and accountable local government. Motsi said enough is enough.
Meanwhile, the Auditor General of South Africa (AGSA) report on municipalities with outstanding Annual Financial Statements (AFS) shows that the submission and audit conclusion rate of municipalities had improved from 91% to 95%. The Chairperson of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts (SCOPA), Songezo Zibi was briefed by the AGSA on the municipalities with outstanding AFS.
The Head of National Audit, AGSA, Bongi Ngoma said: “The submission and audit conclusion rate had improved over the term of the current local government administration.
“The submission and audit conclusion rate had increased from 91% in the 2021/22 financial year to 95% in the 2023/24 financial year. Overall submission of annual financial statements for audit.”
Ngoma said the submission rate across provinces had shown a slight overall improvement. She said the Free State remained the most challenged province for annual financial statement submissions.
“However, notable progress was observed in the Northern Cape. Meanwhile, the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal maintained a 100% annual financial statement submission rate by the legislated deadline.
“The delays in audits undermined municipalities’ ability to effectively plan, budget, and deliver critical services, which negatively impacted the lives of the citizens. The reduced accountability and transparency undermined trust and weakened public oversight,” said Ngoma.
The Guardian 