Note to Editors: Please find attached English and Afrikaans soundbites by Cllr Hilton Maasdorp and Sesotho soundbite by David Masoeu MPL.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Dihlabeng demands immediate answers and full accountability following the expiry of the municipality’s private security contract on 31 January 2026.
Residents deserve protection, not prolonged silence, speculation, or the threat of yet another unlawful extension.
For days, the Municipal Manager has provided zero no formal information to Council or the public: no update on interim security measures, no performance review of the outgoing provider, and no transparent plan for the future.
This is not mere oversight but a deliberate vacuum that puts community safety, municipal assets, and public funds at grave risk.
Worse, credible indications suggest the administration plans to extend the contract with the incumbent provider on a month-to-month basis. This would flagrantly violate the Municipal Finance Management Act (MFMA) and Dihlabeng’s Supply Chain Management Policy, which require competitive tendering to ensure value, fairness, and competition.
It would also repeat the very pattern of procurement abuse that has already saddled Dihlabeng with hundreds of millions of rands in irregular and unauthorised expenditure, including at least R165 million flagged in recent audits for non-competitive bidding and SCM non-compliance.
Dihlabeng’s residents have suffered too long from financial mismanagement, consecutive poor audit outcomes, and a failure to investigate or recover wasteful spending.
The Municipal Manager is legally accountable to Council under the Municipal Systems Act for every rand spent on security and safety; silence and shortcuts are no longer acceptable.
The DA insists:
- Full, immediate public and Council disclosure without delay—of the post-expiry reality: any current arrangements (including payments), the previous provider’s track record, and exact steps for a lawful new contract.
- Zero tolerance for unlawful extensions and no month-to-month deals without clear emergency justification and Council approval; launch competitive tendering urgently, including processes already advertised, such as MUN001/2026).
- An urgent Council sitting to debate and resolve this crisis, prevent further irregular expenditure, and ensure uninterrupted, effective security for our communities.
- Continued noncompliance invites legal action, financial recovery demands, and potential personal liability for officials, as courts nationwide have increasingly ruled in similar cases.
Residents of Dihlabeng deserve better, safer streets, clean governance, and leaders who manage public funds responsibly. The DA is committed to fighting for exactly that.