Parliament, Thursday, 16 October 2025- The Select Committee on Cooperative Governance and Public Administration (Traditional Affairs, Human Settlements and Water & Sanitation), has urged the political and administrative leadership of Nala Local Municipality to work with the Exco Representative to stabilise the municipality to ensure that the municipality is fully functional and effective.
The committee visited the municipality following the notification sent to the National Council of Provinces by the Free State Provincial Exco for the extension of the Section 139(1)(b) intervention in the municipality.
“The committee raised concerns that despite the resolution of some of the issues that led to the initial intervention, there seems to be undertones of general resistance and push back against the intervention. The committee has encouraged the Mayor, the Municipal Manager and the administrator to work in synergy for the benefit of the residents of Nala,” said Mr Mxolisi Kaunda.
The committee was alarmed by the progress report of the initial intervention which indicated less about improvement of service delivery and financial recovery in the municipality, and reflected an unacceptable picture of resistance against the administrator, and a deepening culture of lack of accountability for wrongdoing within the municipality. The committee is of the view that this was unacceptable as the residents expect service delivery and nothing else.
The committee heard about the augmentation of the team by the provincial department to boost the capacity of the administrator to ensure that the municipality is in a better position for service delivery to the people. The committee was also informed that the position of Director: Corporate Services, Director: Community Services, Manager: Internal Audit are vacant which leaves an undesirable vacuum within the senior management level of the municipality.
The committee also heard that ward committees that are an important link between the community and the municipality are not functional. The importance of ward committees includes fostering public participation in decisions and processes like the Integrated Development Plan and municipal budgeting, their nonexistence certainly renders the municipality weak and unworkable.
“Ward committees enhance participatory democracy by providing a structure for community members to have their voices heard, influence municipal plans, and monitor performance. It is unacceptable that such a critical pillar of local government is non-functional and must be addressed with urgency,” Mr Kaunda emphasised.
The committee was also concerned that regular council sittings were not taking place in the municipality and that impacts negatively on governance and oversight responsibility of the municipal council. Similarly, important committees such as the Municipal Public Accounts Committee or ethics committee were not functional. The committee called on the South African Local Government Association to support the municipality especially with training for functionality of council committees.
Regarding the alleged R2.7 million intended as payment to Vaal Central Water and which was fraudulently transferred to a different account, the committee welcomed the opening of a criminal case and has committed to engaging the South African Police Service to ascertain the progress of the investigation. “Any criminal matter must be thoroughly investigated, and perpetrators must be arrested and prosecuted,” Mr Kaunda emphasised.
The committee will on Friday, 17 October 2025, meet to consider representations made by internal and external stakeholders on the constitutional, procedural, and substantive submissions made into the intervention.
ISSUED BY THE PARLIAMENTARY COMMUNICATION SERVICES ON BEHALF OF THE CHAIRPERSON OF THE SELECT COMMITTEE ON COOPERATIVE GOVERNANCE AND PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION, MR MXOLISI KAUNDA.
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