Exit plan in place to lift section 100 administration in North West, says Dlamini-Zuma

Residents living in the North West, which has been in limbo for more than three years, can breathe a sigh of relief after co-operative governance and traditional affairs (Cogta) minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma announced that the section 100 intervention in the province will be lifted soon.

The province was placed under administration in 2018 after governance system failures led to social and labour unrest. After all this time, several municipalities are still collapsing as a result of parallel government structures and a lack of service delivery.

President Cyril Ramaphosa and about a dozen cabinet ministers on Saturday visited the Ngaka Modiri Molema district in Mahikeng as part of his post state of the nation drive.

Topping Ramaphosa’s agenda was to oversee the implementation of the district development model as well as to update citizens on progress in governance in the province since the intervention under section 100 of the constitution.

During the imbizo many residents complained about the difficulties of living in a town that was under administration, saying houses had not been built and there were fewer job opportunities. Ramaphosa and his ministers were asked repeatedly when section 100 was going to be lifted.

Responding to the community Dlamini-Zuma told them: “The ministerial and the officials’ team have already put [together] an exit plan, which we have already submitted to cabinet and cabinet has accepted it.

“The next step is that because the law says section 100 must also be dealt with by the National Council of Provinces (NCOP), we have sent that report to the NCOP and we are waiting for them to call us and if they sign off on that exit plan report, then it will be all systems go. We will exit.

“There was never a plan to stay here forever.”

Dlamini-Zuma said because the government was working with the district developmental model, it was easier to exit because there will be co-ordination between districts.

During a press briefing on Friday, premier Bushy Maape told journalists he was ready to govern the province.

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