Image: From left: Municipal Manager Mr M. Kunene, Executive Mayor Alderwoman M.P. Nkosi, and SAPS Station Commander Col M.S. Gogongo at the 2026 State of the Municipal Address. | MLM Website
Executive Mayor Alderwoman M.P. Nkosi delivered the 2026 State of the Municipal Address at the Civic Centre on Wednesday, 29 July, providing an account of Msukaligwa Local Municipality’s performance during the 2021–2026 political term.
As the final SOMA of the term, the address reflected on the municipality’s progress, continuing challenges and the work that remains. The following is a condensed report of the key matters raised during the mayor’s address.
Among the main achievements highlighted were:
Institutional capacity
Strengthening municipal capacity by filling more critical positions in areas essential to service delivery, providing skills training to more than 400 municipal employees and councillors, and acquiring vehicles and machinery to improve the municipality’s operational fleet.
Water services
Expanding access to basic water services to approximately 95.5% of the population through the refurbishment of water-treatment infrastructure, the construction of reservoirs, the expansion of water networks, and the drilling and rehabilitation of boreholes in rural communities.
Sanitation and wastewater management
Increasing access to basic sanitation to 92%, connecting 999 households to sanitation services, refurbishing wastewater facilities, and improving the municipality’s Green Drop score from 17% in 2021 to 66.7% in 2025.
Roads and bridges
Improving the local road network by upgrading more than 10km of gravel roads, maintaining over 400km of roads, resurfacing more than 100,000m² of asphalt, and reconstructing key access bridges.
Electricity services
Expanding electricity access to more than 59,230 households, representing coverage of over 87%, through substation upgrades, electrification projects, and the installation of streetlights and high-mast lighting.
Human settlements and township development
Advancing township planning and formalisation in Enyibe, KwaMabuza and parts of Wesselton, while registering more than 500 residents on the National Housing Needs Register and progressing with title-deed transfers.
Although the municipality reported notable progress in several key areas, Nkosi also acknowledged that significant financial, infrastructure and service-delivery challenges remain. Part two of this series will examine these challenges, the work still outstanding and the municipality’s plans for the 2026/27 financial year.