The municipalities with the worst track record have been under administration five to eight times over the last 14 years.
One out of every six municipalities in South Africa is dysfunctional.
The Ministry of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) recently revealed the extent of municipal mismanagement in the country.
Answering a parliamentary question via written response, Cogta stated that 41 of the 257 district, local and metropolitan municipalities are currently under administration.
Section 139 of the Constitution
Municipalities can be placed under administration via Section 139 of Constitution, which hands provincial governments more oversight powers.
Administration occurs when municipalities have shown a failure to carry out basic functions and services, with Section 139 stipulating multiple intervention measures.
ALSO READ: Councillors vow to fight Limpopo council’s dissolution
Currently, 30 of the 41 municipalities fall under Section 139 (5), which requires a provincial recovery plan to be implemented in order for the municipality to meet its constitutional obligations.
KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) and North West have the highest number of municipalities needing provincial guidance, with 10 and eight, respectively.
Limpopo, Western Cape and Northern Cape have the fewest, with two each.
The five worst municipal track records
Of the 41 municipalities currently under administration, 12 have carried that status for five years or more.
Umzinyathi District Municipality has spent the longest period under administration, having begun their latest stint in October 2016.
15 municipalities are first-time offenders, nine are in administrative cuffs for the second time and 12 are aiming to make it third-time lucky.
Mtubatuba Local Municipality in KZN has been placed under administration four times since 2012, with the current intervention beginning in March 2019.
The municipality has been plagued by service delivery challenges, with the Zululand Observer reporting that as of September 2023 the municipality owed creditors a combined R62 million.
ALSO READ: KZN municipalities award R1 billion contracts to state employees and their families
Also in KZN, Umkhanyakude District Municipality has had five spells under administration. The first instance was in October 2015 and on three occasions it was caused by executives failing to approve a budget.
Madibeng and Twaing Local Municipalities in the North West have relatively identical track records. Both have been under administration on six occasions, the first for both being in July 2010.
Both have been under Section 139(5) administration since January 2022, with the failure to implement the mandated recovery plan potentially leading to the dissolution of the municipality.
Ditsobotla municipality
The undisputed leader of administrative action was North West’s Ditsobotla Local Municipality, which has faced interventions eight times since May 2008.
Among recent flashpoints exacerbating the crumbling infrastructure, a mayor in 2023 spent 24 hours in office after resigning the day after being elected and a former municipal executive was arrested for fraud in August.
ALSO READ: Ditsobotla mayor resigns barely 24 hours after being elected
In an attempt to rectify the situation nationally, Cogta signed a memorandum of understanding with the South African Local Government Association, incorporating the Municipal Infrastructure Support Agent (MISA).
“Support through MISA and increased funding are crucial, but we must also address the underlying issues impacting infrastructure performance,” Cogta Minister Velenkosini Hlabisa said.
“Our focus will be on improving infrastructure conditions, particularly in distressed municipalities,” he concluded.
NOW READ: North West provincial government is falling apart, says business body
