COGTA Warns Poor-Performing Municipalities of Dissolution
- COGTA warned that underperforming municipalities will be dissolved and re-elections held
- Minister Velenkosini Hlabisa stated that evaluations will be based on performance, not political leadership
- This decision, agreed upon by all parties in the GNU, targets municipalities mainly governed by the ANC
Reitumetse Makwea, a Briefly News current affairs journalist in Pretoria, South Africa, has covered local elections, policy changes, the State of the Nation Address and political news at The Citizen and Rekord Noweto for over five years.
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The Department of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA) has issued a stark warning that municipalities failing to deliver adequate services to residents will be dissolved and subject to re-elections.
This announcement was made by the newly appointed Minister of COGTA, Velenkosini Hlabisa, on Saturday during the Cabinet lekgotla held at the Sefako Makgatho Presidential Guest House in Pretoria.
He emphasised that municipalities' evaluations focus on their performance rather than political leadership.
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Poorly performing municipalities
According to EWN, Hlabisa emphasised that the African National Congress (ANC) predominantly governs the most poorly performing municipalities.
The leader of the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) and current minister stated that all parties within the Government of National Unity (GNU) agreed upon the decision to take action against underperforming municipalities.
"The initial step in addressing a dysfunctional municipality is to offer support. However, this support cannot be indefinite; a boundary must be established.
"If it becomes evident that our interventions and support are not yielding cooperation, the final recourse is dissolution."
Hlabisa further stated that neither the government nor the residents can wait until the next general elections in 2026 for new leadership to take over in dysfunctional municipalities.
Electricity crisis: Ramokgopa blames municipalities for load reduction
Briefly News reported that South Africa faces a new energy crisis called load reduction due to municipal underinvestment in electricity infrastructure.
Despite Eskom meeting demand, municipalities are implementing power outages to prevent overloading in high-density areas, causing significant inconvenience.
Ramokgopa emphasised that this issue reflects municipal actions, not Eskom’s performance, and urged urgent infrastructure investment.
According to Ramokgopa, this issue has surfaced as various municipalities implement power outages to prevent overloading in high-density areas.
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Source: Briefly News
