WELKOM – The Matjhabeng Local Municipality has formally established a Multi-Party Whippery as a Section 79 Oversight and Monitoring Committee to supervise the municipality’s Financial Recovery Plan, marking a significant step in governance reform.
The committee was established during the fourth Special Council Meeting held on 26 February.
This succeeded in converting what was previously an informal consultative platform into a properly constituted council oversight body with defined legal standing under the Municipal Structures Act.
Councillor René Steyn (ward 32) said the DA had led the formalisation process and crafted the framework Terms of Reference to provide structured oversight of the Financial Recovery Plan.
“What previously functioned as an informal consultative platform has now been converted into a properly constituted council oversight committee with a defined mandate, reporting framework and measurable responsibilities,” Steyn explained.
Matjhabeng remains under constitutional intervention in terms of Section 139(5) due to sustained financial distress.
The Financial Recovery Plan represents a legally binding framework aimed at restoring financial stability, strengthening governance, and improving internal controls.
“Recovery, however, requires more than noting reports – it requires structured and intentional oversight,” Steyn noted.
The newly established Section 79 Committee will monitor the implementation of the Financial Recovery Plan, evaluate performance against measurable targets, identify risks, track related council resolutions, and make formal recommendations to council.
The formalisation provides clear authority and reporting structures to monitor recovery efforts effectively.
For residents, the development means that implementation of the Financial Recovery Plan will be subject to structured scrutiny, measurable performance tracking, and transparent accountability.
Steyn further emphasised that the Matjhabeng Municipality’s recovery would require discipline, transparency, and sustained accountability.
The establishment of the Section 79 Oversight and Monitoring Committee represents a practical step towards rebuilding institutional integrity and restoring the public’s trust in the local municipality’s governance.
