Parliament, Wednesday, 19 November 2025 – The North West’s permanent delegates to the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) have voiced serious concern over the deepening culture of reliance on consultants by municipalities across the North West Province.
The delegation had an engagement yesterday with the Premier of the province, various MECs, and the Office of the Auditor-General as part of the 2025 NCOP’s flagship Provincial Week Programme.
The Provincial Whip and the leader of the delegation, Ms Sylvia Sithole, said the situation is unacceptable, highlighting that municipalities spent an “astronomical” R344.41 million on consultants without value for money.
She said: “It is unacceptable that municipalities have recorded an astronomical spend on consultants. The Auditor-General has indicated that in many cases, there was no value for money. This practice is simply unsustainable.”
The delegation urged the provincial government and municipalities to adopt stricter and effective controls to reduce dependency on consultants, while acknowledging that consultants may still be used when there is a clear, justifiable need.
Skills Development and Leadership Capacity Welcomed
The delegation welcomed provincial plans aimed at strengthening the skills base within municipalities—an essential driver for improved municipal performance. Delegates praised the completion of skills audits across all municipalities, calling it a vital step in addressing identified capacity gaps.
The delegation further welcomed commitments to fill critical senior management posts before the end of the financial year. “It is of critical importance that qualified and capable leaders are appointed at municipal level to drive the strategic reinvigoration of municipalities as demanded by the National Development Plan,” Ms Sithole
Concerns Over Delayed Infrastructure Projects
The delegation expressed concern over ongoing delays in completing critical infrastructure projects, identifying weak planning and inadequate project monitoring as major contributors to persistent backlogs.
In line with this year's Provincial Week theme: “Building Viable Municipalities for Enhanced Delivery of Basic Services to Communities,” the delegation also warned that delays in designating the Bojanala area as a Special Economic Zone (SEZ) could undermine investment attraction, export growth, and job creation.
Delegates encouraged the provincial government to consult established SEZs for benchmarking and to strengthen implementation of development plans.
Municipal Interventions and Consequence Management
With 10 out of 23 municipalities under some form of intervention, the delegation called for stronger and more effective implementation to ensure meaningful turnaround outcomes.
Serious concern was also raised over the stalled Vryburg New Waste Water Treatment Works, a R314 million project that remains incomplete. “It is unacceptable that after such a significant investment, the works remain far from finished while additional costs continue to accumulate due to litigation and storage. The people who should have benefitted are left behind,” said Ms Sithole
The delegation urged the leadership of the Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati District Municipality to institute consequence management against officials responsible for the delays.
Planned Oversight Visits
To intensify oversight and strengthen service delivery monitoring, the delegation will today break into two teams. One team will visit the Bojanala Platinum District Municipality, while the other will conduct oversight at the Madibeng Local Municipality, focusing on progress in infrastructure development.
Details of the visit (Group 1) are as follows:
Date: Wednesday, 19 November 2025
Time: 09:00
Venue: Mayoral House (Mogwase)
Details of the visit (Group 2) are as follows:
Date: Wednesday, 19 November 2025
Time: 09:00
Venue: Madibeng Municipal Offices
Detailed programmes of each provincial delegation can be viewed on the following link:
https://www.parliament.gov.za/project-event-details/4261
ISSUED BY THE PARLIAMENTARY COMMUNICATION SERVICES ON BEHALF OF THE NORTH WEST PROVINCIAL WHIP, MS SYLVIA SITHOLE.
For media enquiries or interviews with the Provincial Whip, please contact the delegation’s Media Officer:
Name: Malatswa Molepo (Mr)
Parliamentary Communication Services
Tel: 021 403 8438
Cell: 081 512 7920
E-mail: mmolepo@parliament.gov.za
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