The North West Executive Council (Exco) has resolved to implement interventions to address some of the governance and administration challenges experienced by certain municipalities in the province.
This decision was taken at the Exco meeting on Wednesday this week to discuss what interventions are necessary to normalise conditions in some municipalities.
Speaking in a media briefing on Thursday, North West Premier, Maureen Modiselle, said Exco had resolved to implement the interventions after having studied the report on municipalities in the province by Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister, Sicelo Shiceka.
"Our general analysis of the underlying causes of frequent upsurge of unrest in municipalities, point to deteriorating conditions which, if not addressed, may collapse the entire system," she said.
The Exco decision will be implemented with effect from 1 July 2009.
Local Government and Traditional Affairs MEC, Gordon Kegakilwe, is expected to outline a detailed programme to give effect to the implementation of these interventions.
The provincial government, with a team appointed by the Minister, engaged with all 25 municipalities during April this year to check the state of municipalities in the province. Modiselle said, of late, municipalities in the province had been in the news for a range of negative developments.
She noted the labour unrest in both Ngaka Modiri Molema District Municipality and Mafikeng Local Municipality which had continued for the last two months and the arrest of municipal manager in Greater Taung Local Municipality.
She also noted other incidents in municipalities such as the expulsion of a mayor by municipal council in Lekwa-Teemaneng Local Municipality, community unrest in Ramotshere Moiloa Local Municipality and Ventersdorp Local Municipality.
Modiselle said Exco looked at municipalities such as Ngaka Modiri Molema District Municipality, Mafikeng Local Municipality, Greater Taung Local Municipality, Venterdorp Local Municipality and Madibeng Local Municipality.
She said having studied the Minister's report on municipalities, Exco have resolved to implement the decision to apply Section 106 of the Municipal System Act, No 32 of 2000. She further added that they resolved to invoke Section 139 (1)(b) in Ngaka Modiri Molema District Municipality for a period of six months.
"This decision follows numerous interventions within the Ngaka Modiri Molema District Municipality by the current and the former MEC for Local Government and Traditional Affairs on the governance and administrations challenges in the district.
"All these interventions could not unfortunately leverage any improvement of conditions in the municipalities," she explained.
Enquiries:
Sam Mokaila
Cell: 082 559 7384
E-mail: tsmokaila@nwpg.gov.za
Issued by: Office of the Premier, North West Provincial Government
2 July 2009
