The Democratic Alliance (DA) in the Polokwane municipality has tabled a motion of no confidence in Mayor John Mpe, citing the city’s worsening water crisis and allegations of large-scale corruption within his administration.
DA Caucus Leader in Polokwane, Johan Retters, said the municipality is facing a “full-blown water crisis,” with residents across several areas — including Mankweng, Seshego, the inner city, and surrounding villages — enduring persistent and prolonged water outages.
“Infrastructure is collapsing, and leaks go unrepaired for weeks. Many residents rely on sporadic water tanker deliveries, which are surrounded by allegations of mismanagement and politicisation,” Retters said.
Tardy response from Mayor
He added that despite repeated promises from Mayor Mpe, little to no progress has been made to restore a sustainable and reliable water supply.
“Polokwane residents are being denied their constitutional right to access clean and safe water,” he said. “To make matters worse, the municipality is now embroiled in a corruption scandal involving more than R700 million in alleged irregular tender awards.”
According to Retters, media reports and whistle-blower accounts have directly implicated Mayor Mpe and senior officials in the scandal. He further claimed that the Mokoro Foundation, allegedly linked to Mpe, benefitted financially from municipal contract proceeds.
“These allegations are deeply concerning. While the Hawks have launched investigations and raided municipal offices, the mayor continues to dismiss the matter as a political smear, offering no transparency or accountability to the people he serves,” Retters said.
The DA maintains that residents have lost confidence in the ANC-led municipality under Mpe’s leadership, accusing the administration of failing to provide essential services.
“The city is failing on its most basic responsibilities — water, waste, and roads — while its leadership is increasingly focused on damage control rather than service delivery,” Retters stated.
Putting residents first
He said the DA’s motion of no confidence seeks to restore accountability and good governance in Polokwane, calling on all political parties and councillors in the municipal council to support the motion.
“It’s time to put the interests of Polokwane residents first,” concluded Retters.
Pressed for comment, Municipality spokesperson, Thipa Selala said the water crisis in Polokwane has nothing to do with either the mayor or the municipality but the water supply source, the Lepelle Northern Water due to some technical challenges.
“The communication we received from Lepelle Northern Water was that they were conducting pressure tests on the completed maintenance work within the Olifantspoort system, and due to unforeseen technical challenges, the testing process was delayed, which has affected the overall completion timeline.”
“We were told that the procedure involves high-pressure testing of the pipeline to ensure the integrity and safety of the system,” said Selala.
