Last week the Eastern Cape Legislature debated my motion to dissolve the Makana Local Municipality, which was tabled on 31 July 2025. The motion was rejected by the governing ANC, despite it being supported by all other opposition parties.
I have now referred this matter to the DA’s Spokesperson for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA) at the National Council of Provinces, Igor Scheurkogel MP, as well as to Henni Britz MP, DA NCOP Member from the Eastern Cape. Hon Britz will table a motion in the House to demand that the municipality be dissolved. This will ensure that the matter is placed on record at national level.
My motion in the Eastern Cape Legislature highlighted several indisputable facts, which included the following:
- The municipality has received a disclaimer from the Auditor-General for the past five consecutive years.
- In the past five years alone, accumulated irregular expenditure, unauthorised expenditure, and fruitless and wasteful expenditure have topped R5,25 billion.
- The James Kleynhans Water Treatment Works upgrade, intended to double Makhanda’s water capacity, has ballooned from R160 million to over R600 million, yet it remains only partially functional with no confirmed completion date.
- Two attempts to dissolve the municipality have stalled on appeal, and multiple petitions and protests by civic society, faith leaders, political organisations and residents have been ignored by the ANC leadership.
Makana meets the threshold for mandatory intervention under Section 139 (5) of the Constitution and Section 136 of the Municipal Finance Management Act, having demonstrated persistent financial failure and a complete inability to provide basic services as required under Section 152 of the Constitution.
Despite this, the ANC retaliated by saying that Makana is improving, and dissolving the municipality now would be tantamount to performing an abortion on all the good work done. They therefore rejected the motion “with the contempt it deserves”.
The reality is that they have rejected the people of Makana with contempt. Residents are left with sewage in their gardens. Businesses are forced to buy water just to stay afloat. Women and children are vulnerable to attacks in dark streets. Schools, universities, hospitals, and prisons struggle to access basic necessities like water.
The people of Makana deserve better. They deserve a DA government with a proven track record of fiscal discipline, excellent service delivery, and capable, competent administrators.