By Hismajesty Maqhubu | DA Councillor Tokologo Local Municipality
Note to editors: Please find attached English and Sesotho soundbites by Cllr Hismajesty Maqhubu.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) in the Tokologo Local Municipality welcomes the Provincial Executive Council’s (Exco) decision to reinstate Section 139(5)(a) and (c) intervention.
Section 139 of the Constitution authorises the provincial executive to intervene in a municipality when it does not fulfil its executive obligation in terms of legislation. This measure is critical in ensuring that the municipality adheres to its financial recovery plan and improves service delivery for residents.
This intervention was introduced in 2022 after the municipality adopted an unfunded budget for the 2022/23 financial year. However, it was abandoned when the Lead Exco Representative went AWOL in February 2023, leaving Tokologo in a state of administrative and financial disarray.
The DA consistently called for the reinstatement of this intervention, recognising its necessity for the municipality’s stability. We also urged the national government to step in when the provincial authorities appeared hesitant. We are pleased that our calls have finally been heard, and we look forward to much-needed service delivery improvements for the residents of Tokologo.
While we support this intervention, the DA believes it is essential to highlight serious concerns:
- The original intervention was set to run from 1 June 2022 to 30 May 2024, with a lead administrator appointed to oversee the process.
- The Lead Administrator disappeared nine months into his deployment, yet the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA) remained silent on his whereabouts.
- Provincial Exco decided to appoint a replacement on 30 August 2023, yet no action was taken for 17 months.
- CoGTA only reinstated a lead administrator on 29 January 2025, despite being fully aware of Tokologo’s ongoing challenges, including severe service delivery failures.
The DA welcomes Mrs. Palesa Kaota to the Tokologo Local Municipality and extends its full support in her efforts to address the municipality’s longstanding issues. These include service delivery failures, poor record-keeping, incorrect financial reporting, inadequate supply chain management processes, revenue shortfalls, performance mismanagement, and a lack of consequence management.
We remain committed to ensuring that the audit action plan and turnaround strategy are fully implemented to improve the lives of Tokologo residents. The DA will continue to hold the municipality accountable and ensure that this intervention delivers the intended results.