Deputy President Paul Mashatile: Oversight visit to Ditsobotla Local Municipality

Programme Director;
Premier of North-West, Honourable Lazarus Kagiso Mokgosi;
Ministers and Deputy Ministers here present;
MECs, Councillors and Officials of Ditsobotla Municipality;
President of SALGA;
DiKgosi tsa rona and all Traditional Leaders present;
Directors General, Heads of Departments, the NCR led by Ntate Ralinkontsane, former Director General of Free State;
All Government Officials;
Community members;
Batho ba Ditsobotla;

Dumelang! I greet you with respect and humility!

I stand before you today not just as deputy president, but also as a servant of a democratic legacy established in struggle and sacrifice. That legacy was written by countless men and women who endured hardship, many of whom lived in the impoverished areas once designated as Bantustans or so-called “homelands.”

From the liberation struggle to the dawn of democracy, our people have always demanded nothing less than dignity, accountability, and delivery. They demanded that freedom must mean more than the right to vote, that it must mean the right to live with dignity, to work with security, and to raise families in communities where services function and opportunities exist.

Today, here in Ditsobotla, that demand continues.

It continues in the voices of residents in this community who ask for clean drinkable water, reliable electricity, passable roads, and opportunities that are real. It continues in the determination of young people who want skills and jobs, not promises and delays.

I stand here fully aware of the frustration, the anger, and the fatigue felt by the people of Ditsobotla. This municipality has endured too much instability and too little delivery, and it would be dishonest to pretend otherwise. You have indeed waited for too long for the delivery of your constitutional promises.

Government has noticed this and decided to deal with this end this by appointing a National Cabinet Representative (the NCR) in this municipality, through whom the cabinet will attend to the situation in this municipality on a day-to-day basis. The NCR is a Multi-Disciplinary team under the supervision of COGTA and Treasury.

We are here today members of Cabinet and Parliament to support the team on the ground.

When I was here in January 2026, the team and the Premier of the province provided me with an overview of the obstacles they were facing, and I assured them that I would engage with Ministers Hlabisa and Gondongwane, as well as connect with other pertinent ministers, which the premier also committed to doing.

Since then, the teams have been actively working on their initiatives to bring change in Ditsobotla. 

Today, we reconvene not to revisit the information previously presented in January, but to monitor and provide feedback on the progress achieved to date, identify what remains to be addressed, and strategise our approach moving forward. 

I have already met with Ministers, the Premier, and district leadership, and we all agreed on the need for bold action to address the community's daily challenges.

The last time we were here, you said the following should be a priority:

- Stabilise governance of the municipality and refocussing the municipality and its leadership on the mandate the municipality was established for: serving the people and ensuring delivery of services and stopping self-serving tendencies with immediate effect.

- Water and sanitation, which strike at dignity and public health.

- Electricity connections, which affect households and businesses.

- Road infrastructure, with specific attention to Beyers Naudé Road, a strategic economic artery.

- Economic support, by bringing the Department of Small Business Development and SETAs to support local entrepreneurs and invest in skills development.

No one among my team members and colleagues present here should ever say your demands are unreasonable. They are constitutional; they are just; they are time-sensitive; and they are achievable. Delivery must be felt in your homes, in your streets, and in your lives.

Ditsobotla must be turned from being an example of all that resembles the worst in our democratic dispensation to an epitome of greatness, good governance, excellence in the delivery of services, and the best example of collaboration amongst all stakeholders and residents of municipalities.

Ditsobotla’s challenges are not technical mysteries. They are the result of governance breakdown, execution failure, and instability. In short, we can say that the issues arose from our failure to maintain high standards of accountability and consequences management.

To our officials who provide technical support to our political leadership, we must recognise that when plans exist without implementation, when funds are spent without visible outcomes, and when institutions collapse without intervention, the people ultimately pay the price. That cannot continue, and it will not continue.

We are going to maintain sustained presence and accountability. In other words, this trip is not a once-off visit. National Government will remain present in action.

We have already deployed a seasoned technocrat, the former Director General of the Free State, Ntate Ralikontsane, to work on the ground and ensure that this municipality is stabilised, rebuilt, and turned around. We will continue to be here with you until:

- Water systems are  stabilised.

- Electricity revenue is protected and reinvested in ensuring the security of supply.

- Roads are repaired, and nonperforming contractors are reprimanded, put to terms, and terminated.

- Economic support must reach local entrepreneurs.

- Skills development is aligned to our local, national, and global economic environment so that our young people are properly skilled for real work.

We want to assure everybody that if systems work, they will be supported and scaled. If they fail repeatedly, intervention will follow without delay. This is not about playing politics. It is about restoring basic functionality to people’s lives.

Ditsobotla does not need more meetings. Ditsobotla does not need more fighting. What this community needs is action. What this community needs is delivery.

I, for one, would have been tired of meetings without implementation, tired of plans without execution, and tired of promises without speed. The time for endless discussions is over. The time for decisive action has come.

Now is the time to have qualified officials, clear authority, and firm accountability. We want councillors, management, and staff to be united in supporting the intervention. Officials must be empowered to deliver and held accountable when they do not.

Let us prepare Ditsobotla to enter the new municipal term as the epitome of best municipal governance practices and cast its past bad image in the dustbin of history.

As Government, we aim to improve cooperative governance by ensuring alignment and integration of national, provincial, and local Government plans. Through the DDM approach, we are accelerating service delivery, enhancing accountability, and ensuring that communities receive coordinated and sustainable support.

Our intervention in Ditsobotla is concrete, targeted, and already underway. We are acting decisively to restore governance, rebuild services, and renew hope. Among others, these interventions include:

- Working with National Treasury, we are utilising the Financial Recovery Plan process to secure and reprioritise funds.

- The Department of Water and Sanitation is supporting the Ngaka Modiri Molema District and Ditsobotla Local Municipality in reviewing the MOU, finalising a business plan for water infrastructure refurbishment and expansion, and facilitating access to bulk water.

- Provincial Public Works is rehabilitating Dr Beyers Naude Drive. SANRAL partnerships and the Vala Zonke programme are addressing potholes.

- Waste management is being stabilised. Funding has been reprioritised to procure waste vehicles, while EPWP teams are being deployed to clean and manage landfill sites.

These communities deserve the best. To the residents of this municipality, let me say this once again: Your frustration is justified. Your demands are reasonable, and your municipality will not be abandoned.

Some of the interventions mean a change will not happen overnight, but visible change must begin, and it must be sustained.

This visit is about restoring presence, action, and accountability. We are serious about fixing local government in real time, accelerating delivery, and ensuring visible improvements. 

My office remains open to you as we work toward addressing your challenges, and we will stay engaged until Ditsobotla works.

I thank you.