The idea of Mochapalong was aimed at mobilizing young people to take charge, actively participate in governance, and be deployed to municipal councils to drive service delivery. What we are currently seeing, experiencing and witnessing is not what we have ordered. As much as it is important to have young people leading in our municipalities, the focus was not supposed to be on identity over capacity. We made a big mistake by pushing for the appointment of youth based merely on their age or “birth certificate,” rather than capability, qualifications, or experience. In some municipalities and departments this has produced leaders less capable than those they replace.
Soldiers of Mochapalong are exposed by their nakedness and lack of consciousness. Strategic municipal departments like local economic development (LED) are not fostering sustainable economic growth, reducing poverty, and creating decent jobs by maximizing local potential. LED was meant to empower local government, businesses, and communities to collaboratively
identify and develop economic opportunities, often integrated into Municipal Integrated Development Plans (IDPs).
Instead of building such departments, we are led by politically illiterate youth chosen on the basis of friendships and factions. Most of them are not prepared, educated, and capable of fighting corruption.
Ntate Raymond Zondo has attributed poor performance to the appointment of non-competent and unqualified individuals in municipal positions. Studies indicate that a shortage of technical expertise and qualified staff in key roles has severely hindered service delivery.
It is embarrassing to admit, but the state of North West municipalities is concerning and requires “urgent and decisive action” to address widespread governance and service delivery failures. The same province has been identified as one of three provinces (alongside Free State and Eastern Cape) requiring immediate national support to restore stability and efficiency.
While everyone in the country was enjoying their festive season last year, a South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) report narrated a sad story of “communities without clean running water, sewer running in streets, and a lack of roads infrastructure” in the province. Just to mention few municipalities are faced by the same challenges, namely Ditsobotla, Matlosana and Madibeng.
Recently Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA) Minister Velenkosini Hlabisa called an emergency meeting with provincial leadership, including Premier Lazarus Mokgosi and Finance MEC Kenetswe Mosenogi, to discuss a mitigation plan after the City of Matlosana regressed to a qualified audit opinion and saw spikes in irregular expenditure.
North West MEC Gaoage Oageng Molapisi has also indicated that Matlosana is becoming a problem child. The meeting was triggered by findings from a joint oversight visit, highlighting the municipality’s regression to a qualified audit opinion for the 2023/24 and 2024/25 financial years, a significant surge in irregular expenditure, R1.5 billion owed to Eskom, poor spending on infrastructure grants, and an administrative crisis including an attempt to reinstate a dismissed CFO facing fraud charges.
Thys Khiba is the Editor-in-chief of City Report and Free State Report.
