DA to Lay Criminal Charges Against 10 Municipal Managers in Eastern Cape, North West and Free State
- The Democratic Alliance announced plans to lay criminal charges against ten municipal managers from South Africa's worst-performing municipalities
- DA parliamentary leader George Michalakis said the targeted officials failed to submit financial reports to the Auditor-General and violated procurement laws
- DA spokesperson Marina van Zyl warned that municipal managers who ignore accounting irregularities or provide false information commit a criminal offence
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Source: UGC
SOUTH AFRICA — The Democratic Alliance has announced on 13 August 2026 that it will pursue criminal charges against ten municipal managers from poorly performing municipalities across the Eastern Cape, North West, and Free State provinces, citing violations of Section 173(1) of the Municipal Finance Management Act.
DA parliamentary leader George Michalakis outlined the charges at a media briefing, saying the targeted officials failed to submit financial reports to the Auditor-General and disregarded recommendations from that office. He accused the managers of presiding over deteriorating communities while flouting procurement regulations. This comes after municipalities were under pressure after the National Treasury cut funding in July this year for similar reasons.
"Municipalities were milked dry on their watch, leaving residents without basic services," Michalakis said, adding that the ten individuals must no longer be recycled by the ANC but be held accountable through the criminal justice system.
Free State officials in the crosshairs
Michalakis noted that most of the managers facing charges are based in the Free State, which he described as having been hollowed out ethically and financially under the long-standing influence of former ANC secretary-general Ace Magashule. He argued that ending consequence-free mismanagement is essential to professionalising municipal administration and restoring basic service delivery to citizens.
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DA's case against managerial impunity
DA spokesperson on cooperative governance and traditional affairs Marina van Zyl stressed that municipal managers hold considerable power largely outside public scrutiny, with the capacity to either build or ruin a municipality. She said that despite the significant impact these officials have on residents' daily lives, consequences for wrongdoing remain rare.
Van Zyl noted that under the Municipal Finance Management Act, managers who ignore material accounting irregularities or furnish false information to oversight bodies are committing a criminal offence.
The DA's move signals a broader effort to use existing legislation to compel accountability where internal and political mechanisms have failed. The party framed the criminal charges as part of its commitment to professionalising local government and addressing the systemic failures that have left millions of South Africans without reliable access to water, electricity, and sanitation.
View a video about the announcement on X here:
DA launches LGE manifesto
In a related article, Briefly News reported on the party's recently launched local government election manifesto in Newtown, Johannesburg, aimed at reforming municipal services with private sector collaboration. The manifesto’s ambitious proposals promise to tackle persistent issues like utility mismanagement and corruption, seeking to restore public confidence in local governance.
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Source: Briefly News
