The North West Provincial Executive Council (Exco) has placed Madibeng Local Municipality under provincial administration, Premier Thandi Modise announced on Monday (10 February 2014).

The municipality has been experiencing several service delivery protests in Mothotlung, Majakaneng and Hebron.

The council had failed to fulfill its legislative and executive obligations in terms by not reigning in office bearers and/or senior management..

“The provincial executive council has assumed the executive obligations and responsibilities, as mandated to the Municipal Manager by Section 55 of the Local Government Municipal Systems Act, Act 32 of 2000 as well as the powers and functions allocated to the Executive Mayor in terms of section 56 of the Local Government Municipal Structures Act and vests [these] in the administrator,” Modise said.

In terms of Section 139(1) (b) invoked in the municipality, the council will only exercise its powers in relation to the adoption of the annual Integrated Development Plan (IDP) and budget, adoption of by-laws and policies and any other matter that might be introduced by the administrator, in consultation with Exco.

The turnaround man

Blake Mosley-Lefatola has been appointed as the administrator.  He is a former HOD in the North West Provincial Department of Local Government and Housing (1996-2003); former City Manager of Tshwane and also served as a commissioner of the Fiscal and Finance Committee.

“We appeal to our communities to exercise restraint and not to disrupt the momentum of the intervention, which is aimed at ridding Madibeng of fraud and corruption and turning it around so that delivery of services is accelerated,” said Modise.

She said the timeframe of the intervention will be for a minimum of six months and a maximum of 12 months to ensure that there is total stability in the municipality, both at council and administration levels.

Mosley-Lefatola has strong leadership and managerial capabilities and has established an alternative service delivery model in the City of Tshwane and assisted in implementing a turnaround strategy for the Ekurhuleni municipality during 2009.