Pretoria: Cabinet has approved placing Ditsobotla Local Municipality in the North West under administration, following a review of its current challenges. The decision was made at the Cabinet meeting, where the Executive received an update on the status of the local municipality.

According to South African Government News Agency, this measure aims to restore stability in the municipality. Ditsobotla will be placed under administration in terms of section 139(7) of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996. This intervention is aligned with the Municipal Finance Management Act of 2003, and a Recovery Plan will be instituted under the stewardship of the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs and the Department of Finance.

The Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs will coordinate Inter-Governmental Relations structures to facilitate the restoration of administrative functions, assisting the municipality in fulfilling its legislative mandate. A Joint Operations Task Team will also focus on addressing criminal activities, Cabinet announced on Friday.

The National Department of Cooperative Governance has placed Ditsobotla under section 139(7). The North West Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs has committed to collaborating with all relevant stakeholders to resolve challenges at the municipality. This commitment was made during a meeting with the Ditsobotla Local Municipality and the Ditsobotla Service Association (DSA) to discuss the challenges confronting the municipality.