Rapelang Lebese to contest for the upcoming local elections as Maquassi Hills Mayoral Candidate for MSDM

The Matlosana Service Delivery Movement (MSDM) has welcomed Rapelang Lebese as its preferred Mayoral Candidate for the Maquassi Hills Local Municipality ahead of the 2026 Local Government Elections on 04 November 2026

Lebese will represent Matlosana Service Delivery Movement under the alliance of the Maquassi Hills Development Party

Lebese is expected to bring a strong presence as Mayoral Candidate for the municipality, which is currently ailing upon a number of issues such as service delivery concerns, financial irregularities, mismanagement and maladmistration

Irregular expenditure increased by 2019, it had risen from R153.1 million in the prior year to R226.7 million, “yet no official was ever held accountable”. The African National Congress Interim Provincial Committee recalled the mayor of Maquassi Hills among five mayors “for fraud and corruption” after assessments cited “the continued regression in the audit outcomes over the past few years as reported by the Auditor General”. The report listed “instances of non-compliance with the Municipal Finance Management Act, mismanagement of the public funds, financial irregularities and lack of systems of accountability including consequence management”.

Courts have set aside municipal contracts. On 8 May 2024, the High Court declared Maquassi Hills’ decision to appoint a service provider and all contracts concluded between the parties “unenforceable, constitutionally invalid, reviewed and set aside”. The respondent was ordered to pay the municipality R3 713 547.92. The case followed a forensic report commissioned to “investigate expenditure items appearing in the irregular, fruitless and wasteful expenditure registers”.

Litigation itself drains public funds. In 2014 the Labour Court described proceedings involving Maquassi Hills as a “sorry saga” and noted “the long-suffering ratepayers of Maquassi Hills cannot be expected to pay legal costs that were in the first place, incurred purportedly on their behalf by an individual who is on a crusade of his own”.

Provincial government intervened in 2013. A Section 139(1)(b) intervention was imposed “as a result of governance and administration problems in the municipalities, which negatively affected service delivery”. Cited reasons included “poor governance and management of council matters by the municipal councils, poor leadership and oversight by the councils, breach of code of conduct by councillors… deterioration of service delivery, poor administrative leadership and lack of administrative capacity”.

As the movement will be participating for the first time in the upcoming Local Government Elections, a change of senary from the party that ruled the municipality for a number years which is the ANC will work in its best interest, however, the EFF made its name and mark in the municipality as the second largest leading political party in Maquassi Hills

Now that, the Matlosana Service Delivery Movement is here, will it be able to handle the pressure and tackle the challenges that continues to be thorn to the residents?? On the 4th of November, it shall be seen

However, Lebese has seen the challenges the communities of Maquassi Hills are living under, which include water, road, continuous pipe bursts, uncollected waste and more

This development signals the growing political footprint of the movement beyond its borders, as the movement seeks to strengthen its presence and influence in Maquassi Hills ahead of the upcoming local government polls

Wolmaransstad Link to engage Lebese to hear if elected, how will he turn around the municipality's poor performance position

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