Hon Chairperson and hon members, the current state of the local government performance and compliance of Mahikeng Local Municipality is a serious cause for concern in that, by location, this municipality is the capital city of the North West Provincial Legislature and the provincial government. It is therefore reasonably expected that this municipality should strive to function optimally and deliver services to the local community without fail. Its performance and execution of its role and mandate is hampered by its inherent failure to embrace good governance and accountability, failure to acknowledge and appreciate the essence of oversight and monitoring and evaluation of performance. It is one of the municipalities which are notably reluctant to report openly on how it is using funds allocated for service delivery implementation.
In line with the mandate of the NCOP, the select committee embarked on a loco oversight visit to this municipality with the sole objective of interacting with the internal and external stakeholders to elicit their opinion on the constitutional, procedural and
substantive matters related to innovative of section 139(1)(b) of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa. The North West Department of Local Government and Human Settlements briefed the select committee on the constitutional procedures and substantive matters related to the invocation of section 139(1)(b) of the Constitution.
The representation focused on service delivery, governance, administrative inability and financial challenges. In terms of constitutional and procedural matters, the select committee has observed that the national Minister of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Cogta, the NCOP, the Free State provincial ...
Order, hon members!
The select committee has further observed service delivery in financial management challenges related to sanitation, water litigations, irregular payments, outstanding creditors' debts and nonpayment of pension funds. During oversight, the committee observed that there is no progress made with regards to the intervention, notwithstanding the date of invocation of intervention. The root cause of this sheer lack of progress is the reluctance and failure to appreciate the purpose and objective of
section 139(1)(b) of the Constitution which focuses on ensuring that a required turnaround in the municipality is instituted. This entails hands- on support and assistance to the municipality on all the terms of reference coined from the series of challenges affecting the functionality of the municipality.
Having conducted the oversight visit to the Mahikeng local Municipality and interacted with the internal and external stakeholders, the Select Committee on Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs recommends the following: the NCOP approves the intervention in Mahikeng Local Municipality in terms of section 139(1)(b) of the Constitution; administratorship fast-track the process of implementing the municipal turnaround plan in accordance with the terms of reference assigned by the North West member of the executive council, MEC, for Cogta; the administrator should provide progress report on the implications of the nonpayment of pension funds, criminal steps and unaccounted funds of the municipal plan to pay Eskom debt; filling of critical vacant positions; recovery plan and service delivery plan; the North West MEC for Cogta should conduct forensic investigation on supply chain management in the municipality and table the report to the National Council of Provinces; and the North West MEC for Cogta should table quarterly
progress report on the NCOP of the status of intervention in the municipality including challenges encountered.
The Select Committee on Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs in co-operation with the relevant portfolio committee in the North West Provincial Legislature should in future conduct a follow- up oversight visit to the municipality in order to evaluate the progress made in respect of the intervention in the municipality.
Chairperson, I table this Report in the House.
Debate concluded.
Question put: That the Report be adopted.
In favour: Eastern Cape, Free State, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, Northern Cape, North West, Western Cape.
Report accordingly adopted in accordance of section 65 of the Constitution.