The Ward 7 community of Msukaligwa Municipality has raised urgent concerns about the Municipality’s worsening financial position and the collapse of essential service delivery. In a report compiled by Ward Councillor J.J. Scholtz, residents warn that the Municipality’s ongoing failure to implement the Integrated Development Plan (IDP) is having “a direct effect on service delivery, community wellbeing, and the Municipality’s ability to fulfil its constitutional obligations.”
According to the report, the Municipality continues to approve an unfunded budget despite repeated warnings from National and Provincial Treasury. Scholtz notes that this practice directly contravenes Section 18 of the Municipal Finance Management Act. “Minimal progress has been made in moving from an unfunded to a funded budget position,” the statement reads, adding that National Treasury may invoke Section 216(2) of the Constitution on 6 December 2025. This intervention could result in national transfers being withheld, further deepening the already severe decline in service delivery.
The report highlights that IDP funds are not reaching communities as intended, leaving Ward 7 in a state of deterioration. Critical services such as water supply, sewerage repairs, road and stormwater maintenance, waste removal, and community facility upgrades have stalled or been abandoned entirely. “The absence of these services has a direct and negative impact on the daily lives of the Ward 7 community,” Scholtz states, emphasising that the lack of financial discipline is preventing essential infrastructure from being maintained.
As a result, residents are experiencing frequent service interruptions, unsafe living conditions, and a decline in property values. Community frustration continues to escalate as confidence in the Municipality erodes. “The community bears the brunt of the Municipality’s financial mismanagement,” the report concludes, calling for urgent intervention, transparency, and accountability. The Ward 7 leadership is urging the Municipality to implement corrective financial measures immediately and ensure that IDP funds are used as intended to restore service delivery to acceptable standards.