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Improvement in governance at N West municipalities under administration: MEC

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Strides have been made to improve governance in some of the eight North West municipalities that were placed under administration in 2018. This is according to the Cooperative Governance MEC, Gordon Kegakilwe, who says interventions will not be extended in some of those municipalities when the term ends in August.

Collapse in service delivery, financial mismanagement and vacant senior posts in municipalities have been cited as reasons for municipalities to be placed under administration.

Eight municipalities, including Mahikeng, Kagisano Molopo in Ganyesa near Vryburg, and Kgetleng Rivier in Swartruggens were placed under administration. The other seven municipalities, including JB Marks in Potchefstroom and Mamusa in Schweizer Reneke; were stripped of their powers in May, taking the total number of municipalities placed under administration to fifteen.

Kegakilwe says he is comfortable with the work that has been done by these municipalities.

“I am very comfortable with the work that is being done in those municipalities. Of course, it differs from one municipality to another. There are municipalities that we can say they are ready now; we are ready for the intervention to be brought to an end, because filling of senior positions has happened, policies and systems have been put in place to drive good governance. So, we can actually now remove those municipalities from the administration.”

However, opposition parties in the provincial legislature have cast doubt to the intervention. EFF’s Papiki Babuile says that the factional battle between ANC members is playing out in these municipalities.

“Emotions are being put when these municipalities are put under administration, but at the main if you look at it; it’s the factional battles of the ANC playing out in these municipalities.”

DA’s Winston Rabotapi has says the ANC deploys friends.

“We feel it is not working, because now, you see the ANC always deploys friends and pals.”

Kegakilwe says administrators will be deployed to the seven municipalities recently placed under administration.

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