Alleged political interference and party factionalism, and systemic governance failures have pushed the Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality into severe regression, leaving basic infrastructure in collapse despite six years of direct government interventions.
Stakeholders, community leaders and business representatives argue that the metro’s poor state is driven by party factional disputes and institutional dysfunction, which have severely hampered service delivery.
The municipality has been under intervention since December 2019, initially under the Free State provincial government, before the intervention was escalated to a national Section 139(7) intervention in April 2022 after the municipality failed to implement its financial recovery plan.
In terms of the national intervention, a National Cabinet Representative (NCR) was deployed to the municipality to assume responsibility for implementing the imposed mandatory financial recovery plan and overseeing the overall recovery processes.
According to the Auditor-General’s (AG’s) consolidated report on local government outcomes for the 2024/25 financial year, Mangaung Municipality delivered only 50% of its planned targets for basic service delivery.
It also had the highest vacancy rates in the water departments, with 78% in the water unit and 61% in the wastewater and sanitation unit. The vacancy rate in the solid waste and refuse unit stood at 45%.
The municipality has had qualified audit outcomes with findings every year since 2021/22.
It was also flagged on the AG’s list of indicators of underinvestment in municipal assets at metros, with the municipality recording capital expenditure of less than 10%.
“Service delivery remains constrained, as evident in the persistent delays in infrastructure projects, inadequate maintenance of existing infrastructure and challenges in the provision of water, sanitation and waste management services. These failures reflect weaknesses in the execution of projects, poor contract management and a lack of accountability, which negatively affect the delivery of services to communities,” the Auditor-General’s report read.
Stakeholders concurred with the Auditor-General’s assessment of the municipality’s service delivery.
Tshepo Matsaba, leader of the National African Federated Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Nafcoc) in Mangaung and the Free State, said this week that the municipality’s failure to properly consult stakeholders had resulted in decisions that were not aligned with the needs of the public.
“They will consult one or two people that they know, but organised business is not properly engaged. Property rates have gone up and up over the years, and that is limiting investment because you are going to be paying exorbitant fees. Electricity is expensive and rental is expensive,” Matsaba said.
“Those who are able to pay are being punished and are made to pay for those who either cannot or are reluctant to pay. They believe they have all the answers themselves; they don’t even want to engage.”
He added that it was disappointing that residents needed services, yet the municipality was returning grants to the National Treasury that were meant for road infrastructure and sanitation upgrades.
Mangaung Concerned Community chairperson Themba Zweni claimed that factional battles within the ANC were affecting the metro.
“Political interference is huge in Mangaung, and it’s why it has deteriorated to a state of qualified audit. They do not deliver services because every decision becomes political,” Zweni said.
“We have a street called Masongo in Turflaagte. All 37 streetlights don’t work, and I cannot count the potholes. There is a sewer spillage every week.
“Even when services are rendered, it’s because of political proximity. Ward 2, for example, is exceptionally different from its neighbouring wards. The factionalism of the ANC has caused major problems, and it is what delays service delivery.”
The ANC currently holds 51 of the 101 seats in the council.
A recent Ipsos poll published this month, however, put support for the ANC at 32%, with the DA ahead at 36%.
Questions were sent to the ANC regional task-team convener, Lawrence Mathae, who did not reply at the time of publishing.
Mangaung Chamber of Commerce and Industry chairperson Nancy de Sousa said governance had become the main driver of disinvestment in the metro.
“It’s not bad service delivery. There are potholes in every city. It’s corruption and factionality that have deadlocked everything in the metro, and nothing gets through council.
“Mangaung has been under administration for six years, and it is worse. The launching of the metro police services, which had to be blocked by National Treasury, was an absolute failure, while they had already appointed a chief.
“Bloemfontein is clean because people are organising to pay people to pick up their refuse,” she said.
Questions were sent to Mangaung Municipality’s head of communication, Qondile Khedama, who directed them to the city manager, Sello More.
More had not responded by the time of publication.
ntsikelelo.qoyo@nationalmg.co.za