NCOP resolves to dissolve Thabazimbi Local Municipality

CAPE TOWN - The National Council of Provinces (NCOP) has unanimously agreed to dissolve the Thabazimbi Local Municipality and place it under administration. 

It’s the only local council in Limpopo deemed to be dysfunctional. 

At a special sitting of the house on Thursday, the select committee on Cooperative Governance said its inspection earlier this week revealed a litany of problems, and a refusal by the council to cooperate with the provincial government to fix them. 

With the dissolution of the Thabazimbi Local Municipality, it will now be added to the list of the country’s 35 dysfunctional municipalities. 

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A hung council, the municipality has been a battleground of political instability where the African National Congress (ANC) has 11 seats but has been run by a coalition led by the Democratic Alliance (DA) - which has four seats. 

The parliamentary committee said its inspection has found parallel council and governance structures. 

Councillors have failed to hold meetings, to attend them when they do or to keep records of their resolutions. 

The public accounts and audit committees are also non-functional. 

The chairperson of the NCOP's select committee on Cooperative Governance and Public Administration, Mxolisi Kaunda, said it’s evident there’s a lack of political will for the council to meet its obligations. 

"Our select committee is of the view that the invocation and dissolution of the Thabazimbi Local Municipality in terms of Section 139 1(c) of the Constitution is constitutionally and substantively justifiable," Kaunda said.

The Limpopo MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA) will now have to appoint an administrator that the NCOP committee expects to come up with a turnaround plan, conduct lifestyle audits and a range of forensic investigations into the maladministration, fraud and corruption suspected at the municipality.