Note to Editors: Please find attached English and Afrikaans soundbites by Cllr Piet Botha and Sesotho soundbite by Jafta Mokoena MPL.
The DA in Matjhabeng has written to the Speaker’s Office and the Acting Municipal Manager to ensure that the Financial Recovery Plan (FRP) is placed on the agenda for the Council meeting scheduled for 27 January 2026.
Additionally, we requested that the relevant officials from Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA) and the National/Provincial Treasury be invited to attend to support Council in meeting the required timelines and compliance obligations under applicable legislation.
In recent weeks, residents have been exposed to media reports and political commentary about the possible disbanding of the Matjhabeng Municipal Council. As recently as last week, it was reported that the MEC for CoGTA in the Free State, Saki Mokoena, intends to disband Council due to the alleged late approval of the FRP reports for November and December 2025.
What the public is often not told is that the FRP process allows Council a lawful and regulated period to consider and adopt the required monthly reports after month-end. This is a matter governed by clear statutory requirements, not public speculation.
The MEC’s repeated public threats and shifting messaging create avoidable uncertainty in a municipality already under severe financial and service delivery pressure. If the provincial ANC believes that the Executive leadership and administration are failing, it must address those failures through the proper governance and accountability processes, rather than by creating public confusion or speculation about disbandment.
It must also be clearly understood that Council can only consider matters once they have been formally tabled in accordance with the Standard Rules and Orders. If FRP items are not submitted in time, Council cannot simply “debate it anyway”. Administrative accountability and political oversight must function as intended, and the relevant offices must ensure that statutory items are placed before Council without delay.
At a time when communities are demanding better service delivery, the ongoing speculation about disbandment is counterproductive. It undermines investor confidence, weakens staff morale, and distracts from the urgent work of stabilising the municipality.
Matjhabeng residents deserve certainty, transparency, and competent governance and should not be subjected to unnecessary political confusion.