North West municipality movable assets sold off

It does not rain but pours for the bankrupt Ditsobotla local municipality in North West as it failed to pay salaries last week.

Now, municipal movable property has been auctioned, following a successful court bid by Obakeng Onkarabile Mogapi at the Lichtenburg Magistrate’s Court on 13 January, 2023. The court order was initially handed over in September 2021, “pursuant to a judgment of the Lichtenburg Magistrate’s Court, given on 28 September, 2021, the undermentioned goods will be sold at 10am by public auction to be held at 3 Beyers Naude Drive, by the sheriff to the highest bidder”.

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Millions

According to the court papers seen by The Citizen, the majority of items on auction were bakkies and trailers worth between R15 million and R20 million. The provincial public account committes’s Job Dliso said it was “worrying” that Ditsobotla continues to deteriorate despite the by-elections in December 2022.

“Unfortunately, as things stand, employees will not be paid their salaries in May and June 2023 as there is no money, including to deliver basic services.” Dliso was referring to the dissolution of the council due to failure to pay employees and councillors for more than five months after the 2021 local government elections.

He said the other reasons include failure to meet constitutional obligations and the divisions in the council where there were two speakers, two mayors and two municipal managers at the same time.

The current council was elected towards the end of last year and is led by mayor Boitumelo Lethoko of the Patriotic Alliance. Dliso said Ditsobotla owed creditors R4.4 billion, against the budget of just over R500 million, which is also nonexistent.

This means the municipality is dormant. Ditsobotla is one of eight municipalities in the North West that have been placed under administration.

Last week, Eskom threatened to disconnect the city of Zeerust, which falls under Ramotshere Moiloa local municipality – which is also under administration – for failing to settle its R98 million debt.

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