LISTEN | Cogta minister Hlabisa vows to dissolve dysfunctional municipalities

Co-operative governance and traditional affairs minister Velenkosini Hlabisa says municipalities misusing funds and failing to deliver services will be dissolved. 

The department's 2023 annual report detailed 64 municipalities were dysfunctional.

“You give [the municipalities] grants and money every year and they don't account for wrong activities. Worse, they refuse to account for where the money went, because it went to corrupt activities. What is the point of keeping them?” Hlabisa said during an interview with SA FM.

“That is why we say the final resort is to dissolve such municipalities. If all doesn't work in the interest of the people, keeping them for five years is not in the interest of our people. You need to take the drastic step of drawing a line.”

He said he would analyse department reports and identify municipalities beyond repair.

“Most dysfunctional municipalities deliberately employ incompetent people and even if they are advised that a person doesn't have qualifications or this person has a criminal record for being involved in corrupt activities, they go ahead and employ them because they want people they can manipulate; they don't want competent people,” he said.

“The first thing we will do with dysfunctional municipalities is visit them and verify the information we have. We will engage them, provide support politically, administratively, technically and financially, establish a timeline and monitor their progress. If they co-operate, they will receive support and be moved from 'dysfunctional' to 'functional' status to render services.

“However, if we have done everything and there is no co-operation and there is no willingness to deliver services to our people because of corruption that is being protected in a particular municipality, there will be no other solution but to go back to the electorate and say, 'Elect another council that will be your voice in terms of your needs as a particular municipality.'

“Why do you keep a municipality for five years that is not providing services to the people and is instead deliberately refusing to co-operate? We call on all municipalities to co-operate in the interest of our people.

“Our theme in the seventh administration is every municipality must work. The people of South Africa live in municipalities where service delivery — be it water, electricity, roads or refuse removal — must be provided by a municipality.”

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