North West’s acting premier has announced comprehensive plans to rescue the cash-strapped Lichtenburg-based Ditsobotla Municipality.

The cash-strapped municipality has garnered significant attention for its struggles, prompting urgent intervention by the provincial government. Its dire situation was highlighted during the Sopa 2024 debate when concerns were raised about several struggling municipalities. Despite grim realities, Premier Nono Maloyi expressed optimism about prospects for a turnaround at Ditsobotla.

“Nine municipalities in this province were dysfunctional; as we speak today, only two municipalities are dysfunctional after we intervened,” he said. “Others are at risk and we want them to be stable.

“One of your municipalities, Kagisanong Molopo, is without all this drama happening; it is stable as we speak. The unfortunate thing is that the third one, which is Ditsobotla, is in ICU and we are busy taking it out of ICU,” he said.

Maloyi reiterated the government’s commitment to ensuring all citizens have access to essential services, highlighting the Thuntsa Lerole programme has ensured social distance between the state and people is avoided where government and municipal officials intervene every Friday to deliver services to the people of North West.

The DA and EFF leaders in the Provincial Legislature have accused the programme, aimed at accelerating service delivery, of being nothing more than a money-making scheme for those with proximity to the ANC-led government.

Characterised by a series of challenges, including financial mismanagement leading to a failure to deliver services, Ditsobotla Mayor Boitumelo Lethoko acknowledged the dire circumstances and even revealed to the Standing Committee on Provincial Public Accounts, that they couldn’t even afford to buy toilet paper as the municipal bank account is empty.

OFM News/Kekeletso Mosebetsi cg