By Eric Motloung | DA Caucus Whip Dihlabeng Local Municipality
Note to editors: Please find attached English and Sesotho soundbites by Cllr Eric Motloung
The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Dihlabeng Local Municipality will formally write to the MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA) in the Free State through our members in the Free State Legislature, demanding urgent intervention after Dihlabeng Local Municipality Speaker Nthabeleng Mofokeng unlawfully dissolved the Municipal Public Accounts Committee (MPAC), violating the council’s standard rules and orders and the Municipal Structures Act governing municipal committees.
This blatant disregard for due process stems from a report that exposed the executive and administration’s continued refusal to account for unauthorised, irregular, fruitless, and wasteful expenditures. Despite repeated invitations, officials ignored requests to appear before MPAC, evading scrutiny and accountability.
ANC members serving on the committee deliberately disrupted the presentation of the report and forcefully pushed for the dissolution of MPAC—despite it not even being a scheduled agenda item. This marks the second consecutive year that municipal public accounts reports have been deliberately blocked from being tabled, following previous interference by the Speaker, who altered reports and violated Section 79A of the Municipal Structures Act and MPAC’s terms of reference.
Following an ANC caucus meeting and the DA’s challenge regarding the legality of the Speaker’s actions, she unlawfully referred the report back without following proper council procedures. She failed to split the house despite dissenting views, further demonstrating procedural manipulation. It remains unclear whether her decision to dissolve MPAC still stands or if it was withdrawn following DA intervention.
The Speaker’s repeated violations of the council’s code of conduct undermine accountability, weaken compliance, and obstruct effective consequence management. Such actions erode public trust and reinforce a culture of impunity within the municipality.
With this uncertainty and interference by the speaker, the community of Dihlabeng Municipality will be denied an accountable government that investigates financial maleficence.
This further impacts service delivery as a whole and no-consequence management.
We remain committed to upholding good governance and ensuring an accountable administration for the people of the municipality. It is imperative that residents vote for a government that prioritises the rule of law and the interests of the municipality over political agendas.