By Thapelo Molefe
Parliament has put the North West provincial government on notice, warning Premier Lazarus Mokgosi and his Cabinet to use their constitutional powers proactively to prevent municipal failures from escalating into full-blown crises.
This follows a joint parliamentary oversight visit during which the delegation welcomed, but strongly criticised as overdue, the Premier’s intervention plan to stabilise the Zeerust-based Ramotshere Moiloa Local Municipality.
The municipality has been paralysed by political infighting, intimidation, ballooning debt, and service delivery protests.
Last month, the ANC in the North West removed three councillors from Ramotshere Moiloa, including Itumeleng Moarabi, who had been vying for the mayoral position against a fellow ANC councillor.
Moarabi, elected by the council without ANC approval, has since claimed to be the legitimate mayor but the ‘former mayor’ Dinah Pitso, in office since 2021, refused to vacate her position, alleging her removal was unlawful.
She remains the mayor of the municipality after the Council – which sat on 9 July 2025 to remove Pitso, failed to comply with the applicable prescripts, including Standing Rules and Orders for meetings of the Council and Committees of Ramotshere Moiloa Local Municipality
During the oversight visit, MPs and Members of the Provincial Legislature (MPLs) placed responsibility for municipal dysfunction squarely on the provincial executive, particularly the MECs for CoGTA and Finance, for failing to act despite having constitutional authority.
“The provincial executive must now demonstrate how it will monitor and enforce compliance. Delays and inaction only worsen dysfunction,” the delegation said in a statement on Thursday.
Ramotshere Moiloa was presented as a case study in collapse.
Officials told Parliament the municipality has tabled successive unfunded budgets, owes Eskom more than R94 million, and is plagued by service delivery protests, particularly over water shortages.
Political factionalism, intimidation of municipal leaders, a shooting incident at municipal offices, alleged unlawful council processes, illegal appointments, and financial mismanagement have further destabilised operations.
Delegation leader Zweli Mkhize described the situation as intolerable. “The people of the North West are being denied basic services because of criminality and political dysfunction. You have the authority given to you by the Constitution, and we expect you to use it,” he told the Premier and MECs.
Under pressure, Mokgosi tabled a detailed action plan on Tuesday. Central to the plan is an investigation into councillors, with the MEC for Cooperative Governance invoking Item 16(5) of the Code of Conduct for Councillors to probe alleged breaches.
An ad hoc committee was to be established by Wednesday, briefed on its terms of reference by Thursday, and expected to report to council by Friday.
The plan also includes meetings with labour unions and municipal staff to ensure worker safety and stabilise administration, as well as engagements with residents and community stakeholders to explain the intervention and outline steps to restore services.
Stricter financial oversight will be provided by the MEC for Finance to address the municipality’s long-standing debt and chronic budgetary problems.
MPs welcomed the plan but noted it was only triggered by Parliament’s visit.
“Without this intervention, the paralysis in Ramotshere would have continued unchecked,” they said.
Ramotshere is one of 18 municipalities in the province appearing before the delegation, many facing similar challenges of debt, poor governance, and political instability.
Mkhize and other delegation members emphasised that the provincial executive must not wait for municipalities to collapse before acting.
“Governance failures cannot be treated as fires to be extinguished once they flare up. Residents deserve stability and continuity,” they said.
Regular progress reports to the provincial legislature and Parliament have been demanded to ensure accountability and enable public monitoring.
The ad hoc committee probing councillor conduct is expected to begin work immediately, with its first briefing this week. Feedback on the intervention should reach the council and community by Friday.
Meanwhile, the oversight delegation will continue engagements with other struggling municipalities before compiling a report to Parliament.
Mkhize said Parliament’s message was clear: there must be accountability.
“We owe it to the people of Ramotshere, to the people of the North West, and to South Africa as a whole. We cannot condone this paralysis, and those responsible must be held accountable,” he said.
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