ANC plans to dissolve Ditsobotla Local Municipality after years of financial mismanagement

The ANC in the North West is considering dissolving the troubled Ditsobotla Local Municipality and integrating its areas into neighboring municipalities after the 2026 local government elections.

This decision stems from ongoing issues despite numerous interventions, as indicated by ANC North West spokesperson Tumelo Maruping.

“We have implemented all the interventions that you can think of,” said Maruping.

“If the interventions do not work out, post-2026, we are now looking at getting rid of that municipality altogether and merging it with other municipalities.”

Ditsobotla, encompassing towns like Lichtenburg, Coligny, and Ga-Raphalane, supports over 200,000 residents and plays a crucial role in agriculture, manufacturing, and retail.

However, it faces severe challenges including financial deficits, debts to Eskom and other creditors, and service delivery protests despite provincial interventions under Section 139 (5) of the constitution.

Ditsobotla has suffered a deficit of about R171 million in the current financial year’s budget.

The municipality