In a Special Council sitting called by Mr Kopung Ralikontsane, the appointed National Cabinet Representative ( NCR), Ditsobotla Local Municipality councillors re-elected Cllr Molefe Morutse as the Mayor and Cllr Manana Bogatsu as the Speaker of Council on Tuesday, 23 September 2025.
The council sitting comes after the fourteen days directive by the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Velenkosini Hlabisa of regularising and affirming the position of the Mayor and Speaker and executive committee members, to strengthen unity and cohesion within the council of Ditsobotla.
This Special Council sitting was attended by Premier of North West Province, Lazarus Mokgosi and the MEC for Cooperative Governance, Human Settlements and Traditional Affairs (Cogta), Oageng Molapisi.
“We acknowledge challenges bedeviling the Ditsobotla Local Municipality but we will not relent in ensuring that stability reigns supreme in expediting provision of services. Our efforts are slowly but surely yielding desired results,” said Mokgosi.
Hlabisi officially announced that the municipality is under administration for the ninth time, following years of service delivery challenges, financial mismanagement, and deepening instability.
The North West provincial government under the stewardship Mokgosi has given a thumbs up to an intervention by Cabinet to bring administrative stability in the municipality.
This comes after Hlabisa confirmed the appointment of a six-member intervention team, citing the municipality’s inability to fulfil its constitutional obligations to residents.
The invocation of Section 139(7) of the Constitution, placing the municipality under national intervention was announced by Hlabisa during a Special Council Meeting on Friday. Addressing councillors, officials, and community representatives in Ditsobotla, Hlabisa emphasised that the intervention is “not merely about taking executive powers from the municipality, but restoring credibility, functionality, and trust in the municipality.”
According to the spokesperson to the Premier, Sello Tatai, Hlabisa reaffirmed the government’s commitment to restoring the dignity of the people of Ditsobotla by ensuring effective service delivery in the municipality.
“He maintained that this intervention will only succeed through cooperation.”
“We can only turn things around if councillors, officials, and communities pull together in one direction. This is about rebuilding Ditsobotla into a municipality that serves its people with dignity, efficiency, and integrity, said Hlabisa.
Among the key measures announced are:
• Implementation of a Financial Recovery Plan developed with National Treasury.
• Deployment of technical and governance support through MISA and other national partners.
• Establishment of a Joint Operations Task Team with SAPS, SSA, DOJ, and NPA to investigate corruption, maladministration, and irregular appointments.
• Institutional reforms to address political instability, irregular staff appointments, and governance dysfunctionality.
• Strict financial controls, with the NCR assuming oversight of all municipal accounts and procurement processes.
Mokgosi has expressed optimism on the intervention, emphasising the need to stabilise the municipality to ensure uninterrupted provision of services. He maintains the intervention marks a critical turning point in addressing service delivery backlogs afflicting the municipality.
“Cabinet has appointed a National Cabinet Representative (NCR), Mr Kopung Ralikontsane, supported by a multidisciplinary intervention team.
The team will include engineers, planners, governance specialists, and financial experts who will work alongside the municipality to implement a comprehensive recovery strategy,” said Mokgosi.
