The Democratic Alliance (DA) will formally request the chairperson of the Cooperative Governance, Human Settlements and Traditional Affairs (COGHSTA) portfolio committee, Mr Champ Sepuru, to investigate the apparent lack of effective oversight of municipalities by the MEC for COGHSTA, Basikopo Makamu, and his department.
15 Municipalities have unfunded budgets and are therefore technically bankrupt.
There is wholesale overspending on operational budgets and chronic underspend on capital and infrastructure projects which caused major decay of municipal water and sanitation infrastructure, pothole riddled roads and non-functioning streetlights in all municipalities.
Fruitless and wasteful expenditure like breakaway sessions at luxury resorts outside the municipal boundaries, drivers for political office bearers and expensive vehicles are prioritised over service delivery.
To exacerbate the already cash strapped municipalities, not only is the province at risk of a technical recession, due to dismal economic performance for the last 2 quarters, but the Minister of Finance, Enoch Godongwana, is to withhold the equitable share of Sekhukhune and Vhembe districts as well as Letaba municipality for collectively owing Lepelle Northern Water just short of half a billion Rand.
These municipalities face imminent bankruptcy; media reports indicate that Letaba municipality’s funds have dried up and that there is uncertainty whether they will be able to honour their salary bill on 15 July 2025 or whether employees’ pension contribution has been paid over last week.
While we acknowledge that municipalities have the right to govern on its own initiative, the MEC for COGHSTA is a constitutionally obligated to intervene when it becomes clear that municipalities cannot or does not fulfil its obligations; this regrettable is not happening, effectively allowing municipalities to go rogue.
We want the portfolio committee to investigate the state of our municipalities and to investigate precisely what it is that the department is doing under the programme: Cooperative Governance with its current budget of R299 445 000 -Limpopo residents deserve to know the truth.