By THABO SEHLOHO
18 December 2025- The National Treasury’s decision to withhold equitable share allocations to 15 municipalities in the North West, including Mamusa, Ditsobotla, and Madibeng, has a serious negative impact on human life. This decision is expected to have far-reaching consequences for the affected municipalities, their employees and the communities they serve.
The withholding of equitable share allocations will severely impact the ability of these municipalities to deliver basic services to their communities, including water, sanitation, electricity, and waste management. The impact will be felt in various areas such as service delivery.
Disruptions in essential services will negatively affect the health, safety, and well-being of residents. Municipalities are struggling to maintain infrastructure and provide basic services.
Municipal employees already struggling with delayed salary payments will be hardest hit.
Further delays or non-payment of salaries will have devastating consequences for workers and their families. The lack of equitable share allocations will cripple the financial capacity of these municipalities, making it challenging to meet operational expenses, pay service providers, contractors and creditors.
The communities served by these municipalities will face increased risks of water-borne diseases, power outages, and uncollected waste, among other challenges. Local businesses will also suffer.
I call on the National Treasury and relevant authorities to urgently intervene and address the underlying issues affecting these municipalities, to ensure the continued delivery of essential services to our communities.
(Note: Mr Thabo Sehloho writes this article in his personal capacity and the content of the article does not represent the views of The Guardian Newspaper or its associates. The content of the article remains the views of the author and The Guardian Newspaper does not agree nor disagree with the content)
The Guardian 