The ANC has taken an unprecedented move by axing seven mayors, chief whips and speakers from the worst-performing municipalities in Free State.
The party took a decision to remove the troikas due to the service delivery failures.
The councillors from Mafube, Moqhaka, Letsemeng, Nketoana, Nala, Masilonyana and Lejweleputswa were shown the door following failure to execute projects that benefit residents and businesses in these municipalities.
At the heart of the crisis is that all these municipalities service more than 1-million people combined, but have been flagged as dysfunctional by the Auditor-General for several years now. However, the equally poorly performing municipalities of Maluti-A-Phofung and Ngwathe escaped the axe by the skin of their teeth.
Last week, Sunday World visited Maluti-A-Phofung, where the condition of roads is an eyesore.
Maintenance work on the road from Phuthaditjhaba to Bolata has been abandoned for months. Piles of rocks had been placed on the road, and motorists had been forced to turn one lane into two to navigate potholes.
The Maluti-A-Phofung council’s headquarters in Phuthaditjhaba did not even have a single drop of water in its taps. Residents have for years not been supplied with water.
The municipality has an electricity crisis, which has meant that residents have had to endure unpredictable power cuts.
A resident from the area, Mothusi Mofokeng, said the community has been forced to rely on rain and rivers to get water.
“We are struggling, and nothing has been done here to improve our lives.
“The ANC had ruined the legacy of the late prime minister of Qwaqwa, Dr TK Mopeli. It’s a complete mess to say the least,” said Mofokeng.
Masentle Mokoena also stated that motorists are forced to buy tyres week in, week out due to bad roads.
“We drive on top of potholes every day, and we are forced to buy tyres non-stop due to these horrible roads.
“The ANC had failed to work for us even though we voted for it. We are on our own if you wanna know,” said Mokoena.
Mandla Mngomezulu also pointed out that their appliances are damaged due to the electricity cuts, saying nothing is working anymore.
ANC provincial spokesperson Thabo Meeko said the party had resolved to take a no-nonsense stance against underperforming councillors.
“The ANC Free State decided to intervene in several municipalities through the reconfiguration of troikas.
“It went further to instruct Premier Maqueen [Letsoha-Mathae] to intervene on administrative challenges, key among them were failures to submit annual financial statements and non-improved audit outcomes.
“On the removal of mayors, the ANC has taken a resolution that all provinces require concurrence from national leadership before the decision can be made. The ANC internal process is unfolding. The roll call meeting highlighted our commitment to act decisively against corruption, non-service delivery and all the wrongs. This is ongoing work to fix local government,” said Meeko.
When asked about the Maluti-A-Phofung failure to fix the roads, Meeko referred Sunday World to the municipality.
However, Maluti-A-Phofung mayor Malekula Melato put the blame squarely on the provincial government.
“Those roads do not belong to Maluti-A-Phofung, but they belong to the province. Please speak to the municipal spokesperson,” said Melato.
This bold move will be seen as a desperate attempt from the former liberation movement to woo votes ahead of next year’s local government elections.
