Luthuli House is being lobbied to lower the boom on the troubled Mamusa Local Municipality in Schweizer Reneke, North West, as party divisions and endless bickering cripple the council and leave residents fuming.
Just months after ANC speaker Gotsilekgosi Batsi was dramatically ousted in March —toppled not only by opposition parties but also with a decisive nudge from ANC councillors— the party’s North West leadership under chairperson Nono Maloyi has called in the heavyweights.
Local powerbrokers
Maloyi lays it bare: the province wants the national executive committee (NEC) to greenlight the dissolution of the Mamusa council and install an administrator. A move that would sideline local powerbrokers and hand the reins to trusted hands selected by the provincial government.
“We want this matter to be resolved as soon as possible so that the administrator can start fixing the mess,” Maloyi told Sunday World, hinting at just how deep the rot goes in this rural municipality.
Should the NEC approve, the North West government will be asked to invoke section 139(1)(c) of the Constitution. This gives the provincial government extraordinary powers —including disbanding a defiant council.
But this is more than just a local governance saga. It’s a textbook case of how ANC factionalism can paralyse even the smallest of councils.
Infighting
The ANC’s narrow majority in Mamusa has been shredded by infighting. It has seen local councillors defying provincial instructions. And in some cases, it has openly teaming up with opposition benches to unseat their own leadership.
“These comrades voted with the opposition to remove the mayor and the speaker of the ANC. That was not a mandate of the ANC,” Maloyi said. He emphasised that all council decisions involving ANC members must first be approved by the party’s provincial leadership.
In the ANC world of party discipline, Maloyi did not mince his words that this was heresy. “The decision to remove or redeploy councillors lies with the ANC structures and not the council,” he said. He made it clear that the real levers of power sit far above the council chamber.
“We deployed interventions. We sent senior leaders. And we held meetings with the regional and local structures. But the problems continue. Now we are left with no choice but to dissolve the council,” Maloyi said.
Provincial leadership
The provincial leadership is now flexing its muscles. It is tired of patching up internal rifts and seeing service delivery grind to a halt. Councillors who broke ranks face disciplinary hearings. Battle-weary residents — already frustrated by water shortages and sporadic electricity — watch to see whether national intervention will bring change.
Maloyi admitted that party councillors have been skipping meetings. They have been sabotaging leadership and refusing to work as a team.
“We have reports of councillors boycotting meeting. They have been undermining the speaker and refusing to cooperate with the mayor. The municipality cannot function in that environment,” he said.
Strong warnings issued
“We have written warnings and records of their conduct. Those who have defied the ANC will face consequences. The organisation must be respected,” vowed Maloyi. He warned: “If we continue protecting people who are not delivering, we will lose the trust of our communities completely. We must act now.”
“Councillors must prioritise service delivery to the people and avoid personal or factional interests,” he added.
Regional ANC structures have been told to file detailed reports on wayward councillors, and the findings will go before the provincial disciplinary committee, said Maloyi.
