South Africa: Select Committee to Undertake Oversight to Municipalities in the Free State, North West and Gauteng

 

The Select Committee on Cooperative Governance and Public Administration (including Traditional Affairs, Human Settlements, and Water and Sanitation) will undertake oversight visits to municipalities in the Free State, North West and Gauteng provinces from 14 to 17 April 2026.

These visits form part of Parliament’s constitutional mandate to oversee interventions in municipalities and ensure that they are functioning effectively to deliver essential services to communities.

Chairperson of the committee, Mr Mxolisi Kaunda, emphasised the importance of functional municipalities in fulfilling their constitutional obligations. “Municipalities play a critical role in delivering services to the people of South Africa. When they fail, communities are deprived of their basic rights to reliable and quality services. Our oversight seeks to ensure that no effort is spared in restoring proper governance and service delivery,” he said.

In the Free State, the committee will visit Masilonyana and Nketoana Local Municipalities, where interventions have been implemented in terms of Section 139(1)(b) of the Constitution. These interventions follow serious concerns, including financial mismanagement, governance failures, mounting debt and adverse audit outcomes. The committee will engage with stakeholders to assess the effectiveness and legality of these interventions and to gather input from affected communities.

In the North West, the committee will assess the situation in Ditsobotla Local Municipality, which was placed under national administration in September 2025 due to persistent instability, service delivery failures, and financial challenges.

In Gauteng, the committee will visit Emfuleni Local Municipality, which continues to face significant challenges, including poor service delivery, environmental concerns related to the Vaal River system and financial distress linked to outstanding debt owed to Rand Water.

The oversight visits aim to evaluate the state of governance, financial management, service delivery and public participation in these municipalities. The committee will also assess the support provided in terms of Section 154 of the Constitution.

Mr Kaunda highlighted the importance of community involvement in the oversight process. “Public participation is central to the work of Parliament. Engaging directly with communities and stakeholders ensures that our decisions are informed, credible, and reflective of the lived realities of the people,” he said. The committee will interact with political parties, labour unions, civil society, representatives of local businesses, youth and women structures and municipal leadership.

The committee is committed to identifying practical solutions to address the challenges facing municipalities and to contribute towards restoring their functionality and improving service delivery for all residents.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Republic of South Africa: The Parliament.