The residents have expressed concern after by-elections results showed that Thabazimbi municipality in Limpopo will remain a hung council.
This comes after the fiercely contested by-elections on Wednesday saw no party secure an outright majority.
The ANC emerged victorious after garnering 39.65% of the votes and securing 10 council seats, but it fell short of the 12 seats required to govern independently.
The ANC has improved on its 2021 showing in much of the Regorogile township next to Thabazimbi town, where President Cyril Ramaphosa addressed party supporters over the weekend at the Siyanqoba rally.
The DA emerged as runners-up with 16.41%, earning four seats, while the EFF secured three seats with 13.32%.
The Labour Party of South Africa and Freedom Front Plus (FF+) each won two seats, while newcomers, the uMkhonto we Sizwe Party, claimed a seat.
Local parties still failed to make significant inroads in these by-elections.
Following a poor performance, the Thabazimbi Service Delivery Forum will not return to council, while the Thabazimbi Residents Association narrowly managed to regain one seat, down from three in 2021.
The outcome requires political parties to negotiate coalitions to establish functional governance.
Longstanding battlefield
With no outright majority winner, Thabazimbi could still be characterised as political instability akin to the events that led to its disbandment.
Thabazimbi council chambers have been a longstanding battlefield of internal ructions, financial mismanagement and chronic non-delivery of basic services.
In 2021, a DA-led coalition outwitted the ANC, which secured 47% of the vote but lost control of the municipality.
Staff members suffered as they went unpaid for months amid chaos and dysfunctionality. Debts of R300-million to Eskom and R180-million to Magalies Water also burdened the municipality.
For the umpteenth time, the municipality in the iron ore belt has been in turmoil, with two mayors and two municipal managers running parallel councils, unable to pass budgets or address debt owed to the power utility and the regional water authority.
The long-drawn-out political differences escalated to court battles over incessant motions of no confidence, further disintegrating governance.
With no assurance of a ceasefire among warring factions, the municipality was eventually dissolved by the provincial executive committee with the concurrence of the National Council of Provinces and Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Velenkosi Hlabisa.
Political instability
In October, Thabazimbi was temporarily placed under administration in accordance with the constitution’s Section 139.
Residents of Thabazimbi said after the elections that a hung council would bring them back to the unstable times.
Florence Mmamatjie said she was pleased to see Ramaphosa visiting the area ahead of the elections, hoping that he will restore political stability in the council.
“The presence of the state president gave us hope that there will be harmony among local politicians and work towards improving the municipality,” she said.
“But with no outright majority winner, it means those infighting are still going to continue while we are devoid of basic services,” she said.
Jimmy Seahlolo said a hung municipality is not what they were hoping for, citing that parallel structures are bound to re-emerge in the power struggle.
“We are back to that chaotic situation. These results do not spell exciting times for Thabazimbi residents.,” said Seahlolo.
“I wish we could go back and vote again. Maybe this time the results will be different. A coalition council is not going to be the best solution for the resuscitation of the embattled municipality.”
