By More Matshediso
Pretoria - North West MEC for Human Settlements and Local Government Collen Maine has announced that an administrator and an intervention team have been appointed to assist the Ngaka Modiri Molema District Municipality.
The Provincial Executive Committee made the decision to place the municipality under administration at its meeting on 2 July, where a report into the state of local government was presented.
At a special media briefing in Mmabatho on Tuesday, MEC Maine said the report indicated that the Ngaka Modiri Molema District Municipality was one the municipalities that required urgent intervention.
MEC Main said the EXCO resolved to invoke Section 139(1)(b) of the Constitution to bring stability to administration of the municipality and to ensure communities in the area get the kind of services they are entitled to.
The municipality has been experiencing governance and administrative challenges since the beginning of the current term of local government and this has adversely affected the delivery of services through its constituent local municipalities.
The MEC explained that the municipality had failed to provide quality services to the residents and to implement programmes and projects relating to infrastructure programmes for water and sanitation services.
The municipality had also provided poor integration, administration and coordination of service delivery related programmes, including infrastructure programmes within local municipalities.
MEC Maine said the district municipality also failed to provide support to the local municipalities in terms of Section 88 of the Municipal Structures Act.
“The council also failed to act on alleged maladministration, fraud and corruption and general compliance with applicable legislation and regulations governing the local sphere of government,” he said.
When a municipality cannot or does not fulfil an executive obligation in terms of the Constitution or legislation, the provincial executive may intervene by taking any appropriate steps.
“This is necessary to ensure fulfilment of that obligation, including assuming responsibility for the relevant obligation in that municipality to the necessary extent,” MEC Maine said.
The MEC said he would hold a special meeting with the municipality’s councillors on Thursday to outline the processes that must be followed to ensure the success of the intervention.
The municipality is one of four category C municipalities in terms of the Municipal Structures Act. This means it is a municipality that has municipal executive and legislative authority in an area that includes more than one municipality.
The district is made up of four local municipalities comprising Mahikeng, Ramotshere Moiloa, Tswaing, Ditsobotla and Ratlou local municipalities.
The district municipality is an executive type with 37 councillors including an Executive Mayor, Committee, Speaker and Council Committees. – SAnews.gov.za
