Note to Editors: Please find attached English and Afrikaans soundbites by Cllr Carina Serfontein and Sesotho soundbite by Cllr Joseph Mbele.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Ngwathe strongly condemns the conduct and political attacks witnessed during Ngwathe’s Council meeting regarding the 2026/2027 budget.
The meeting became emotional and politically charged, with political games openly played rather than focusing on the real crisis facing residents: collapsing service delivery, financial instability, and the continued suffering of communities across Ngwathe.
During the debate, ANC representatives even went so far as to suggest that parties that vote against the budget should not receive salaries, while at the same time expecting opposition parties to support an unfunded budget and remain silent when residents report poor and failing services.
The DA, followed by other opposition parties, voted against the proposed budget due to serious concerns that it is unfunded and potentially unlawful under the Municipal Finance Management Act (MFMA).
Section 18(1) of the MFMA clearly states: “No annual budget may be funded from borrowed money, except for the capital budget referred to in section 17(2).”
Furthermore, Section 18(1)(a) and (b) requires that:
- Expenditure must be funded from realistically anticipated revenues to be collected; and
- Cash-backed accumulated funds from previous years’ surpluses may only be used where available.
A municipality cannot continue to approve budgets in which operational expenditure far exceeds realistic operational income, while residents are expected to accept deteriorating services, infrastructure collapse, and ongoing financial instability.
The DA will not support budgets that:
- Place municipalities at further financial risk.
- Ignore legal and financial compliance requirements.
- Mislead residents about the municipality’s true financial position.
- Fail to prioritise sustainable service delivery.
Residents deserve lawful governance, accountability and honest financial management, not intimidation, threats or political theatrics.
Ngwathe can work. But only with responsible leadership.