Representatives of troubled Eastern Cape municipalities, including the Buffalo City and Nelson Mandela Bay metros, have been summoned to appear before parliamentary oversight committees next week to account for various service delivery and administration problems.
Officials from 19 municipalities will be grilled over poor audit outcomes, political and administration instability, the dismal state of their infrastructure, lack of consequence management, crippling water losses, poor revenue management and noncompliance with environmental management legislation, among other problems.
They will appear before parliament’s co-operative governance and traditional affairs portfolio committee, chaired by former health minister Dr Zweli Mkhize, and the standing committee on the auditor-general, led by Freedom Front Plus MP Wouter Wynand Wessels.
In addition to the two metros, officials from the Amathole, OR Tambo, Chris Hani and Alfred Nzo districts, and local municipalities such as Makana, King Sabata Dalindyebo, Enoch Mgijima, Walter Sisulu, Dr AB Xuma, Port St Johns, Sakhisizwe, Kumkani Mhlontlo, Emalahleni, Inxuba Yethemba, Koukamma, Sundays River Valley and Blue Crane Garden Route will account to MPs.
Many of these local and district authorities have been identified as “municipalities in distress” by the provincial government.
The meetings are due to take place between Monday and Friday, at the Estuary Hotel and Spa Conference Centre in Port Edward, KwaZulu-Natal.
They will be held on the sidelines of the inaugural local government good governance indaba, set to sit between October 6 and 8, at the Wild Coast Sun resort in Bizana, to be attended by representatives of all 39 Eastern Cape municipalities.
The two committees were meant to be joined by parliament’s standing committee on public accounts (Scopa), which conducted oversight visits to BCM and the OR Tambo district earlier in 2025.
However, Scopa chair Songezo Zibi confirmed on Wednesday that the committee would not be available due to an earlier commitment in parliament.
Zibi said though Scopa’s report on the oversight visit had yet to be tabled and adopted by parliament, he would provide a draft report to Mkhize’s committee, “so it could assist them in their oversight of BCM and OR Tambo municipalities”.
He declined to share the contents of the report but confirmed it contained findings on “glaring challenges in infrastructure projects in both the OR Tambo district and BCM”.
Mkhize could not be reached for comment, but in letters he sent to the municipalities, he said the purpose of the visit was to gather information and ensure accountability.
BCM spokesperson Bongani Fuzile did not reply to questions sent to him.
In his letter to the metro, Mkhize said issues it would have to account for included its audit outcomes since 2021, debt owed to the municipality by councillors and officials, its dismal billing system, poor revenue management, unlicensed wastewater treatment plants, above average water and electricity losses and its ineffective use of consultants.
Amathole District Municipality spokesperson Sisa Msiwa said: “This is part of parliament’s standard accountability and governance procedures to track progress on audit outcomes and service delivery.”
Premier Oscar Mabuyane, co-operative governance MEC Zolile Williams, finance MEC Mlungisi Mvoko and the Bhisho legislature’s co-operative governance portfolio committee chair, Nomasikizi Konza, are expected to provide input on the state of municipalities in the province.
Daily Dispatch
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.