The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Thabazimbi Municipality condemns the ongoing ANC-driven collapse of lawful governance, where council processes are being hijacked for ANC factional power struggles while service delivery continues to deteriorate.
What residents are witnessing is not governance — it is a full-blown political brawl, with the ANC turning the municipal council into a battlefield to fight for control of power.
In just the past few weeks:
- An illegal council meeting on 28 February attempted to unlawfully dismiss the Municipal Manager;
- A procedurally defective council meeting on 16 March was convened without an agenda.
There have been ongoing attempts to manipulate council processes to remove the Municipal Manager, in disregard of due process and legality.
Let us be clear: these actions are unlawful, invalid, and an abuse of municipal power.
The DA refuses to participate in this lawlessness. We will not legitimise kangaroo council meetings or decisions taken in violation of the law, regardless of who is involved. We remain firmly committed to the rule of law.
This is not about governance — it is about one ANC faction trying to remove another. Whilst the ANC ‘fiddles’, the town ‘burns’. Residents and businesses have been reduced to spectators in an ANC civil war while service delivery continues to collapse.
This chaos is not without consequence — it directly undermines service delivery, investment, and public trust.
Even more alarming was the deployment of armed private security at the council meeting on 17 March this week, which effectively turned a democratic institution into a militarised zone. This is unacceptable, intimidatory, and fundamentally undemocratic. At this meeting, the Mayor and Speaker were removed and replaced.
The DA will not be drawn into:
- ANC factional battles disguised as council business;
- Political horse-trading for positions; or
- The ongoing destabilisation of the municipality for narrow interests.
We are not interested in positions in a collapsing council — we are interested in restoring governance and delivering services to residents.
The reality is simple: the municipality is being run into the ground by ANC infighting, incompetence, and disregard for the law.
This municipality is no longer being governed — it is being fought over.
As the DA, we will continue to:
- Put the interests of the people first;
- Expose unlawful conduct;
- Hold those responsible accountable; and
- Pursue all available legal and oversight avenues to protect residents from the consequences of this chaos.
Residents deserve a functioning municipality — not ongoing ANC power struggles that continue to damage Thabazimbi’s governance and its future.