The South African Municipal Workers’ Union (SAMWU) has strongly opposed the North West African National Congress' (ANC) proposal to dissolve the troubled Ditsobotla Local Municipality and incorporate its areas into neighbouring municipalities.
In a formal statement dated 11 February 2025, the trade union accused the Provincial Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA) of spreading disinformation and deliberately tarnishing the municipality’s image.
The proposal to dissolve Ditsobotla was put forward by the ANC in the North West, citing ongoing administrative and governance failures.
The municipality, which has been under provincial intervention since 2022, has been marred by political instability, financial mismanagement, and allegations of unqualified staff and ghost employees.
However, SAMWU has dismissed these claims, arguing that the provincial intervention has only worsened the situation.
The union stated that multiple administrators and acting municipal managers had been appointed since the intervention began, yet the municipality continues to face serious challenges.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) has also rejected the ANC’s proposal, warning that dissolving Ditsobotla will not resolve the deep-rooted governance issues.
“The ANC's proposal to disestablish Ditsobotla will only make matters worse. It will only transfer structural problems to other municipalities,” the DA stated.
The party further accused the ANC of avoiding the real causes of Ditsobotla’s collapse, citing corruption, fraud, and cadre deployment as the main issues.
“The ANC continues to avoid the real reason why Ditsobotla has collapsed, which is theft, fraud, and corruption through cadre deployment. The ANC is too scared of the Ditsobotla mafia. They lack the courage. The DA is not scared, and we have the courage. We will continue to pursue the implementation of our request to place the Ditsobotla Local Municipality under national government intervention,” the party added.
Further fuelling the controversy, North West MEC for COGTA, Oageng Molapisi, recently described Ditsobotla as a "problem child municipality" in an interview with Newzroom Afrika, aired on 7 February 2025.
He alleged that hostility from the municipality’s management and council had led to incidents of kidnappings and hijackings, making it difficult for provincial representatives to carry out their duties.
However, no concrete evidence has been provided to support these claims, and SAMWU has demanded case numbers for these alleged crimes.
While the reported kidnappings and hijackings remain unverified, video footage shared on social media by Taung DailyNews has shown the extent of tensions within the municipality.
In one instance, MEC Molapisi was repeatedly interrupted by councillors during a council meeting, preventing him from addressing the chamber.
The situation escalated to the point where the police had to be called to intervene, highlighting the deep divisions between local officials and the provincial government.
Speaking to SABC, ANC North West spokesperson Tumelo Maruping confirmed that the party was serious about dissolving Ditsobotla and merging it with neighbouring municipalities.
He indicated that if the proposal was finalised, the dissolution process could begin as early as next year.
"This is our last intervention because we have implemented all possible measures, including Section 139(a) and (b), as well as Section 139(c), which allows for dissolution—we've done this about three times. If this final intervention does not succeed after 2026, we will consider dissolving the municipality entirely and merging it with others. At that point, we would have exhausted all available constitutional options," Maruping said.
SAMWU’s statement also raised concerns about a skills audit conducted by Bontle Botheo, a service provider appointed by the provincial department.
The audit, which took place between 7 November 2023 and 27 March 2024, reportedly concluded that only three municipal employees held an NQF Level 7 qualification.
However, the union has refuted these findings, stating that many employees had submitted their qualifications and signed a register to verify them.
The union further alleged that the report was deliberately manipulated to discredit municipal staff and justify further provincial intervention.
“COGHSTA has deployed its personnel to the municipality, and these people are compromised. They are now playing dirty games to cover their tracks because they deliberately made false reports to the department,” the statement read.
SAMWU has also accused MEC Molapisi’s office of interfering in the political and administrative affairs of the municipality.
The union questioned why the MEC was challenging the appointment of Mr O.T. Bojosinyane as Municipal Manager, despite having previously concurred with his appointment at Kagisano Molopo Local Municipality.
Instead, they alleged that the MEC had favoured another manager who had been suspended for violating the Municipal Finance Management Act (MFMA).
“The MEC does not recognise the appointment of the substantive Municipal Manager but rather supports a manager who was placed on suspension for disregarding the MFMA by performing transactions outside the financial system,” SAMWU claimed.
In its recommendations, SAMWU has called for the National Department of Cooperative Governance to intervene in Ditsobotla.
The union has requested a new skills audit and an investigation into alleged ghost employees, arguing that the provincial intervention team has overstepped its mandate and become involved in political affairs.
“The intervention team has developed an interest in being appointed as municipal managers and directors.
They are sowing divisions amongst employees, saying that certain individuals are better suited for positions..
Their mandate has changed, and they are now literally politicking,” the union alleged.
SAMWU has given COGTA seven working days to respond to their concerns, including a request for the case numbers of the alleged kidnappings and hijackings mentioned by MEC Molapisi.
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Updated: 20 February 2025 Thursday
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