The Mangaung Service Delivery Forum (MSDF) and Forum 4 Service Delivery (F4SD) on Tuesday announced their intention to drag the metro, which is currently under the national government's intervention, to court for failing to deliver mere basic services to residents. The chairperson of the MSDF and President of the F4SD on Tuesday 20 September 2022 held a media briefing at Hoffman Square in Bloemfontein to outline key details of their plan of action to hold the metro accountable over several issues. These issues often leave residents frustrated and angry with the metro.

The two groups joined hands and vowed to work on the ground to achieve the aforementioned aspirations. MSDF has in the past held service delivery protest marches to the offices of Premier Sisi Ntombela and other departments such as Health and Destea, among others. 

F4SD president Mbahare Kekana and his forum are set to boost the MSDF with its political power. The forum has councillors across the Free State and North West, with Kekana leading a Municipal Public Accounts Committee (MPAC) in a North West Municipality.

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Mangaung Shutdown leaders have previously called on the National Government to intervene with hopes that it will provide residents with required procedures, be accountable, and also deliver services.

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A few months later, the metro's council was stripped of its executive powers by the National Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta). This after Cogta minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma was allegedly under the impression that the provincial Cogta Department, led by MEC Mxolisi Dukwana, treated the metro with kid gloves.

After joining forces with F4SD, Motoko says they will be heading to court to challenge the metro’s council to be dissolved. He said they are taking this route as the intervention of the National Government has also failed residents. MSDF chairperson Potso Motoko’s aspirations of having services delivered to residents are still farfetched, however, he is hopeful that things will change for the better as soon as they win the battle in court.

OFM News/Kekeletso Mosebetsi and Lucky Nkuyane