The sustained executive instability at Matjhabeng Local Municipality has become a serious cause for concern, particularly given that the municipality remains under Section 139(5)(a) and (c) constitutional intervention and is operating under an approved Financial Recovery Plan.
These extraordinary measures were intended to restore governance stability and financial discipline. Instead, instability at senior management level has become entrenched.
The position of Municipal Manager has remained vacant since November 2024 following the resignation of Advocate Lonwabo Ngoqo. Although the recruitment process was initiated, shortlisting conducted and interviews completed, the recommendation to appoint a permanent Municipal Manager—which came before Council in October 2025—was ultimately withdrawn. No permanent appointment has since been finalised.
The position of Municipal Manager has remained vacant since November 2024
In the absence of a permanent Municipal Manager, the Chief Financial Officer has repeatedly been appointed to act in that position. Whilst legislation permits acting appointments under limited circumstances, this prolonged arrangement has effectively left the Finance Department without stable executive leadership. In a municipality under a Financial Recovery Plan, where strict financial controls, budget oversight and revenue management are critical, the repeated rotation of the CFO into the Municipal Manager position creates a vacuum in financial governance.
This undermines accountability and disrupts continuity in the very department responsible for implementing the recovery plan.
The instability extends beyond the Municipal Manager’s office. The position of Director of Human Settlements has effectively been unstable since 2023 and has been subject to extensive litigation that remains unresolved. Human Settlements is a core service delivery portfolio responsible for housing projects, informal settlement upgrading and the management of housing grants. The prolonged legal uncertainty and absence of stable leadership in this directorate directly impact the most vulnerable residents of Matjhabeng.
The instability extends beyond the Municipal Manager’s office.
Council records further reflect the suspension of Advocate Lauretta van Wyk Williams in August 2023, which resulted in extended acting appointments within Community Services and Law Enforcement. Subsequent litigation led to her reinstatement. However, the process itself contributed to prolonged administrative disruption in a department responsible for refuse removal, fleet management, traffic services and security. Repeated suspensions, acting extensions and legal disputes at this level erode institutional stability and service delivery continuity.
The position of Director of Strategic Support Services was also vacant for a prolonged period following suspension proceedings and court challenges, which the municipality reportedly lost—further exposing the financial and governance risks associated with instability at executive level. “The cumulative effect of these events is a municipality operating with a revolving door of acting executives, prolonged vacancies, unresolved litigation and blurred lines of accountability—all whilst under provincial intervention. Section 54A of the Municipal Systems Act and the 2014 Regulations on the Appointment and Conditions of Employment of Senior Managers clearly regulate acting appointments and were never intended to allow municipalities to function indefinitely without permanent leadership,” says Maxie Badenhorst, DA councillor in Matjhabeng.
a Section 139 intervention and a Financial Recovery Plan is to stabilise governance
The purpose of a Section 139 intervention and a Financial Recovery Plan is to stabilise governance and restore lawful administration. Yet Matjhabeng continues to function without a permanent Municipal Manager, without stable leadership in Human Settlements, and with financial oversight weakened by the repeated acting deployment of the CFO.
The Democratic Alliance will formally escalate this matter through its representative in the Free State Legislature and request that the MEC for Cooperative Governance provide a comprehensive account of all acting appointments, confirm compliance with statutory limits and MEC concurrence requirements, clarify the status of the Human Settlements litigation, and present a clear, time-bound plan to permanently fill all senior management vacancies.
