{"id":294960,"date":"2025-11-25T12:36:53","date_gmt":"2025-11-25T10:36:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/bloemnuus\/local-government-collapse-free-state-municipalities-in-free-fall\/"},"modified":"2025-11-26T06:30:18","modified_gmt":"2025-11-26T04:30:18","slug":"local-government-collapse-free-state-municipalities-in-free-fall","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/bloemnewsexpress\/local-government-collapse-free-state-municipalities-in-free-fall\/","title":{"rendered":"Local government collapse: Free State municipalities in free fall"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The DA in the Free State is now calling a motion to debate measures to address the failures in government, financial accountability and service delivery in Parliament.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to Dr Igo Scheurkogel, DA Member of Parliament and the National Council of Provinces’ (NCOP) spokesperson on Cogta, the Free State\u2019s municipalities are in free fall. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Rivers have become open sewers, waste piles up in our streets, and taps run dry. During NCOP 2025 Provincial Week, the Auditor General confirmed that not one municipality in the province has a clean audit. This isn\u2019t because the Constitution has failed us, it is because ANC municipalities lack the political will and have no consequences for officials who fail to perform,” Scheurkogel said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Stormwater damming up in Kroonstad. PHOTO: Supplied<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

“We have submitted a motion to debate in the NCOP to hold the Free State Provincial Government accountable for the collapse of municipalities.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The province has failed to enforce consequence management, fill key posts, support municipalities, or address the widespread service delivery and financial failures affecting every community in the Free State.<\/h3>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Scheurkogel said the Constitution and municipal legislation oblige provincial governments to support and strengthen municipal capacity, monitor performance, and design capacity-building programmes to deliver better services. Instead of using these tools, the Free State Department of Cooperative Governance is not utilising the legislative tools in the Municipal Systems Act and the Municipal Finance Management Act to address key issues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“All Free State municipalities, without exception, have failed to fill key vacant posts within six months, have not updated their indigent registers, and have an average revenue collection rate of 38%. The province also fails to fulfil its duty to compile Municipal Systems Act Section 47 performance reports, which provide a clear assessment of local government and guide provincial support.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Without these reports, there is no credible diagnosis of why municipalities fail.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The results are catastrophic. Municipalities submit poor-quality financial statements, ignore irregular expenditure and defy court orders. Debts to water boards and Eskom have ballooned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mafube, Matjhabeng and Kopanong face criminal cases for polluting rivers, and the National Treasury has withheld transfers because Free State municipalities owe R24.8 billion to water boards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Wastewater plants have collapsed, and untreated sewage now poisons rivers and dams. This is not just a service delivery failure – it is a health crisis.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Scheurkogel says Free State CoGTA so-called support has not developed the monitoring systems and capacity-building programmes required by the law. “Weak internal controls and the absence of credible performance reporting have created a culture of impunity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The lack of leadership and the failure to utilise legislation mean residents across the province suffer, while ANC municipalities put their own needs before the needs of residents.<\/h3>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

The lack of leadership and the failure to utilise legislation mean residents across the province suffer, while ANC municipalities put their own needs before the needs of residents.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Scheurkogel says the DA will push for the following through local structures to fix municipal finances:<\/p>\n\n\n\n