Parliament, Saturday, 26 July 2025 – The joint oversight initiative of Members of Parliament and Members of the Free State Provincial Legislature has shown a promising start, as their two-day oversight visit – engaging 23 underperforming municipalities – concluded in Bloemfontein yesterday.
Led by the Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA), Dr Zweli Mkhize, the initiative brings together three key parliamentary committees – COGTA, the Standing Committee on Public Accounts (SCOPA), and the Standing Committee on the Auditor-General. In partnership with the Free State Provincial Legislature, this high-level intervention aims to address entrenched dysfunction, mismanagement and financial irregularities in municipalities across the Free State.
Fifteen municipalities appeared before the oversight delegation on Friday, following intensive engagements with eight the previous day. Over two days, Members confronted widespread governance breakdowns rooted in a failure of accountability, systemic corruption and persistent administrative neglect. Common patterns emerged, including weak procurement controls, collapsed financial systems, poor resource management, and deteriorating service delivery. Visible symptoms of this dysfunction – such as potholes, uncollected waste and polluted rivers – highlighted the impact of governance failures on communities.
Dr Mkhize stressed the urgency of the intervention. “We have come here to draw a line in the sand. From this point on, all of us – across local, provincial and national government – are working together to restore proper governance and ensure the public receives the services it deserves.” A central feature of the joint approach is the demand for rigorous consequence management. “If there was some money that was spent the wrong way, those responsible must face disciplinary action. Internally, they must be taken on, be subjected to disciplinary processes, and if it’s criminal, there must be a proper investigation,” Dr Mkhize said. “The culture of impunity must stop.”
This marks a significant departure from previous fragmented oversight efforts, which were often undermined by a lack of coordination across government spheres. The new model creates a unified oversight mechanism, engaging municipalities, Members of the MECs, the Premiers and the Speakers of the respective provincial legislatures. “No one will be able to hide behind the separation of powers between different spheres of government,” Dr Mkhize said. “We must understand that we are one government and have a collective responsibility to govern ethically and manage with discipline our public resources so that services are delivered as expected.
Based on this new oversight approach, municipalities are required to report quarterly on their progress in implementing the Auditor-General’s recommendations. These reports will be monitored by the provincial government and submitted to Parliament. Failure to act will result in accountability measures, including disciplinary proceedings, removal from office or criminal charges. The Speaker of the National Assembly is expected to meet with the Speaker of the Free State Legislature to further strengthen the collaboration between national and provincial legislatures. A consolidated joint parliamentary report will follow, formalising the findings and outlining the expected actions.
Dr Mkhize expressed cautious optimism about the initial engagements. “What we have seen is a change in tone. Many municipalities now understand that accountability is not optional. This is no longer a routine oversight visit – it is a whole-of-government intervention where we want to see demonstrable progress.” He said the plan is to institutionalise quarterly reporting cycles. Within six months, another meeting will be convened to assess the municipalities’ performance based on submitted reports. These will be tabled in Parliament to ensure national oversight and public transparency.
“The crises in Free State municipalities are endemic,” Dr Mkhize said. “But with this coordinated effort – from Parliament, provincial legislatures and the provincial executives – we believe we can turn municipalities around. By the time the Auditor-General returns, they must see improvement. For us, improvement is not just about the audit but about improving and rebuilding systems to remove the problems of maladministration, malfeasance, irregularities, corruption, and the culture of impunity, as well as restore ethical leadership and deliver quality services to our people.”
The oversight visit signals the beginning of a new era in intergovernmental collaboration and accountability, where no municipality will be left to fail in silence and where every official understands that public service must be matched by public responsibility, said Dr Mkhize.
ISSUED BY THE PARLIAMENTARY COMMUNICATION SERVICES ON BEHALF OF THE CHAIRPERSON OF THE PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE ON COGTA, DR ZWELE MKHIZE AND THE SPEAKER OF THE FREE STATE LEGISLATURE, MR MXOLISI DUKWANA.
For media enquiries or interviews with the Chairperson, please contact the committee’s media officer:
Name: Alicestine October (Ms)
Cell: 083 665 4345
E-mail: aoctober@parliament.gov.za
For media enquiries for the Office of the Speaker/Free State Legislature, please contact
Name: Jongi Ndakana (Mr)
Cell: 062 484 5682
Email: jongin@fsl.gov.za
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