3.9.2 The Department of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA) suggested that political support is one of the key requirements for sorting out governance issues in Mpumalanga. COGTA is of the view that political support should precede a sound turnaround strategy to assist struggling municipalities. COGTA advised that municipalities should research better ways of spending their grants. For example, the Municipal Infrastructure Grant is amounting to R78 million; municipalities are failing to spend grants according to their business plans. COGTA revealed that, as a department, they had developed a turnaround strategy for all municipalities in South Africa. In addition to this national strategy, COGTA had devised a special turnaround strategy for municipalities in Mpumalanga in response to a current 'wave' of service delivery protests and unrests in some of the municipalities in Mpumalanga.