The IDP review and 2025/2026 budget public participation meeting that was scheduled for Wednesday, 7 May at 17:00 could not be completed due to senior members of the municipal management team not attending the meeting.

According to a resident, who attended the meeting with about 200 other residents at the Potchefstroom Town hall, yesterday, neither the municipal manager nor the CFO was in attendance. According to him the residents in attendance were livid at what they saw as a disregard for the public participation process.

The meeting was aimed at residents of Wards 02, 03, 04, 05, 07, 15, 22, 23,
24, 25 and 28 to give input into the budget.

Hans Jurie Moolman, DA councillor in the council, noted that it is a disgrace that officials did not attend.

“Public participation is part of our country’s decision making processes. It gives the public an opportunity to be part of decisions on how their city is being managed. The fact that managers were absent and the meeting turned into chaos is completely unacceptable. This just shows how far removed the city’s management is from the people. Recently the municipal manager took the stance that municipal officials do not have to answer to the civil rights organisation Afriforum, it would seem that they feel they do not have to account at official public meetings either,” Moolman said.

According to Jeanette Tshite, municipal spokesperson, the municipal manager had made an apology for the meeting as he was sick.

“There is another director that also made an apology, who was in Mpumalanga with the MEC. The meeting did not continue and a new date for the meeting will be communicated as soon as possible,” Tshite said.

The CFO was also not in attendance.