I would like to take this opportunity to welcome you all to the press conference which we had to call to give you an update on the intervention in Ngaka Modiri Molema District Municipality in order to bring stability in administration of this municipality to make sure that communities get the kind of services that they are entitled to.
The new EXCO came to office on 27 May 2014 and part of its critical mandate was to get the state of local government report which was presented on Wednesday, 2 July 2014. The report indicated certain areas of good practise but mainly concerns on state of certain municipalities. The report revealed the following with regard to Ngaka Modiri Molema District Municipality. This municipality emerged as one the municipalities that required urgent intervention.
It must be noted that Ngaka Modiri Molema District Municipality is one of four category C municipalities (in terms of the Municipal Structures Act) in the North West province. The district is made up of Mahikeng, Ramotshere Moiloa, Tswaing, Ditsobotla and Ratlou local municipalities. The district municipality is an executive type with thirty-seven (37) councillors comprising of an Executive Mayor, Committee, Speaker and Council Committees.
The NMDM has been experiencing governance and administrative challenges since the beginning of the current term of local government (2011) and this adversely affected the delivery of services through its constituent local municipalities.
It is against this background that the Provincial Executive Committee (EXCO) therefore resolved to invoke Section 139(1)(b) of the Constitution in Ngaka Modiri Molema District Municipality for the following reasons :
- The municipality failed to provide quality services (in line with powers and functions) to the residents and to implement programmes and projects relating to infrastructure programmes for water and sanitation services
- Poor integration, administration and coordination of service delivery related programmes including amongst others the infrastructure programmes within local municipalities as the water services authority (in terms of the Intergovernmental Relations Framework Act) which impacted on poor infrastructure spending, poor monitoring of projects and programmes
- Failure by the district municipality 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 (Municipal Systems Act, Municipal Systems Amendment Act of 2011, Municipal Structures Act, Municipal Finance Management Act).
Emanating from this findings, the Provincial Government has a prerogative to ensure that “When a municipality cannot or does not fulfill an executive obligation in terms of the Constitution or legislation, the relevant provincial executive may intervene by taking any appropriate steps to ensure fulfillment of that obligation, including assuming responsibility for the relevant obligation in that municipality to the necessary extent.
The Provincial EXCO has therefore resolved to appoint an Administrator and an intervention team. The announcement to communicate the Provincial EXCO decision as well as the processes that must be followed to ensure the success of the intervention, will be made at a special meeting with MEC and Councillors scheduled for Thursday, 10 July 2014 at Mmabatho Hotel School at 9h00.
Enquiries:
Dineo Lolokwane, Spokesperson
Cell: 072 542 8444
Tel: 018 388 2081
E-mail: dlolokwane@nwpg.gov.za
