*Vhembe District Municipality’s debtors book stands at R3.1 billion
* When billions owed remain uncollected, services deteriorate, the cashflow crises deepen, debts mount and residents pay the price
*The DA calls for a decisive intervention in terms of Section 154 of The Constitution
The DA in Limpopo will request the MEC for COGHSTA, Pule Shayi, to support and strengthen the capacity of Vhembe District Municipality (VDM) to manage their own affairs, to exercise their powers and to perform their functions in terms of Section 154 of The Constitution.
As of 30 June 2026, VDM’s debtor’s book had ballooned to an eye-watering R3.168 billion; a damning indictment of its failure to collect money owed to the municipality.
VDM is grant dependent, has an unfunded budget, is in financial distress and as both the Water Services Authority and Water Services Provider across the district, Vhembe carries ultimate responsibility for potable water delivery, but remain incapable to collect revenue from its water sales.
The four largest debtors remain residential households at R2.6 billion, businesses at R198 million and the Department of Education at R63 million and local municipalities at R56 million.
VDM’s outstanding payments for the same period is R191 million, with R103 million owed to the Department of Water and Sanitations and R 32 million owed to Lepelle Northern Water Board.
Vhembe District has many challenges, but cannot address it own challenges if it cannot collect its own debt. When billions owed remain uncollected, the result is inevitable: deteriorating services, mounting debt, cash-flow crises and communities that pay the price.
We will request MEC Shayi, to strengthen VDM’s capacity to drastically improve revenue collection and debt management, to provide expertise to implement policies and systems and to capacitate officials.
The DA’s position is simple: collect every cent that is legally owed. Revenue collection is not optional — it is the foundation of a functioning municipality.