POLOKWANE – Monday’s debate on the 2026 State of the City Address (SOCA) turned heated as opposition councillors accused Polokwane Municipality of masking governance failures and service delivery shortcomings behind what they described as polished speeches and political spin.

The debate followed Executive Mayor John Mpe’s address delivered on Friday under the theme “Visible Progress. Tangible Delivery”, where he highlighted improved audit outcomes, infrastructure investment, housing delivery, transport expansion and economic growth.

But opposition parties argued that the reality experienced by residents differs sharply from the picture painted by the municipality.

Blue lights talk sparks tense start

Abantu Batho Congress councillor Phologo Hiine criticised municipal directors, saying they were failing to do their jobs and placing the mayor at risk.

“Directors are not doing their jobs because they put the Honourable Mayor in danger,” he said.

Hiine alleged that officials allowed Mpe’s private vehicle to be fitted with blue lights, calling it “a criminal offence”.

He also accused the municipality of failing to disclose in the SOCA that in 2022/23 it had allegedly lost transport grant funding linked to Leeto La Polokwane and township development due to the misuse of funds.

‘There is no us and them’ says COPE

COPE councillor Erick Mohlapamaswi called for unity within the council, saying successes and failures should belong to the institution as a whole rather than political parties.

“In a council, there is no us and them. We work as a team. When we succeed, we do it as a team. When we fail, we do it as a team,” he said.

Responding to Mpe’s humorous remark in Friday’s address about barking dogs and postmen, Mohlapamaswi delivered one of the more memorable lines of the debate.

“Yes Mayor, the dogs must bark. If the dogs are not barking, it means assets are not safe. And we will bark and bark,” he said.

He further accused the municipality of favouring government departments that owe money while ordinary residents suffer service cut-offs.

“Government departments owing the municipality huge amounts are treated with kid gloves, whereas citizens are feeling the wrath of service deprivation.”

Mohlapamaswi also criticised the municipality’s infrastructure planning, particularly regarding roads and stormwater drainage systems.

“The common denominator in all your roads is they flood during rainy seasons, degrading the structure of the roads,” he said.

He further accused Mpe of withholding information regarding the Leeto La Polokwane project.

“You only said what is sweet to the Polokwane community’s ears,” he said, questioning why the municipality did not disclose buses that were still undelivered or what steps were being taken to recover them.

FF Plus: Service delivery not measured by ribbon-cutting

FF Plus councillor Susan Clark said councillors were not gathered to celebrate achievements but to hold the municipality accountable.

“We are not there to celebrate what has been done, but to confront what remains undone,” Clark said.

“Service delivery is not measured by press releases and ribbon-cutting ceremonies, but by the lived reality of our residents.”

She cited ongoing water shortages, burst pipes, ageing infrastructure and delays in repairs as evidence of continuing failures.

DA speaks on roads and eco matters

DA councillor Jacques Joubert said Mpe’s speech “rings hollow because lived reality tells a very different story”.

He said the municipality was losing the “war on potholes” referenced by Mpe.

“We probably need to resurface hundreds of kilometres in the city, yet have no plan to address this,” said Joubert.

He criticised the municipality for blaming heavy rainfall instead of acknowledging years of inadequate maintenance and underinvestment.

“That borders on blame shifting instead of accepting responsibility,” he said.

Joubert further argued that municipalities are expected to get “the basics right”, saying faulty meters remain unrepaired while illegal electricity connections continue unchecked.

He also raised concerns about crime and revealed that approximately 19 000 street lights across the municipality remain faulty.

In his conclusion, Joubert referenced the recent Hawks visit to municipal offices, saying it raised serious concerns.

Fellow DA councillor Johan Retters said speeches alone would not restore dignity to struggling communities.

“Speeches do not fill potholes, restore broken street lights, stop sewage from flowing into communities, or bring water to dry taps,” he said.

Retters nevertheless commended the administration for improvements in water delivery within the city cluster.

However, he accused the municipality of polluting the Sand and Blood Rivers through partially treated sewage discharge.

“Wildlife has disappeared along the Sand River while farmers continue to suffer severe infrastructure damage caused by high ammonia levels,” he said.

Retters concluded by accusing the municipality of operating reactively rather than proactively.

EFF demands accountability for money lost

EFF councillor Freddy Ramaphakela strongly rejected claims that municipal finances had been well managed during the 2024/25 financial year.

“Our disagreement is based on a lack of protection against losses in water and electricity, and wasteful and irregular expenditure determined by the Auditor General,” he said.

Ramaphakela claimed residents had for years received inaccurate estimated bills that did not reflect actual consumption.

“You did not keep the debtor’s book, and no remedial action was put in place,” he told Mpe.

He alleged the municipality lost R26.7 million through wasteful expenditure, R112 million through water losses and R146 million through electricity losses.

Another R105 million, he claimed, had been returned to National Treasury due to underperformance within the transport department.

ANC defends mayor’s track record

ANC councillor Steve Mokgohloa defended the administration, saying the municipality had acknowledged its problems from the start and implemented long-term solutions, particularly regarding water provision.

He reminded council that when the administration took office in 2022, Mpe identified inconsistent water supply as the municipality’s biggest challenge and committed to reducing dependence on external service providers, building internal capacity and developing municipal water infrastructure.

Mokgohloa said the decision to move away from water tankers came at political cost.

“His office was inundated with protests and memoranda and all sorts of instability,” he said.

He highlighted the refurbishment of the Seshego Water Treatment Plant, which the municipality says now contributes between eight and ten megalitres of water daily to the municipal system, as well as ongoing upgrades linked to the Sand River project.

Mokgohloa further praised the municipality for securing R2.1 billion from National Treasury for the regional wastewater treatment project.

On public transport, he said Leeto La Polokwane had survived the resistance it faced in 2022.

“The buses were torched and smashed, but today Leeto is providing the safest, rapid, reliable transport to the people,” he said.

ANC councillor Mmatlala Pheedi said the municipality’s integrated waste management plan demonstrated strong intergovernmental cooperation while helping address waste collection backlogs.

She also highlighted housing projects and efforts to fight vandalism and theft.

“We can safely declare to the people of Polokwane that their city is in good hands,” she said.

Closing the ANC’s contribution, Whip of Council councillor Adolf Rapetswa, accused opposition parties of ignoring measurable improvements achieved under the current administration.

“My colleagues are hell-bent on living up to their names, ‘The Opposition,” Rapetswa said.

He challenged opposition councillors to deny that the municipality had improved and maintained its audit outcomes over four consecutive years, reduced audit findings and improved conditional grant spending.

“I do not want to argue with politicians who spit hot air to appease the masses while disregarding the facts,” he said.

He defended the municipality’s partnerships with Premier Soccer League clubs, saying they had helped revive the use of stadium infrastructure while contributing to economic activity in the city.

Rapetswa also praised the municipality’s graduate employment programme, saying hundreds of young people had benefited from job opportunities.

Addressing concerns around the recent Hawks visit to municipal offices, Rapetswa said: “People are so worried about the Hawks visit, but must remember that those are the Hawks led by the government of the ANC doing their work.”

The debate concluded with a response from Mpe.

Mpe responds

Roads, potholes, streetlights and water issues dominate the State of the City debate as Mpe responds to opposition slamming service delivery.

Video: Snippets of full debate from the Polokwane Municipality Facebook page. pic.twitter.com/WlAnxaZdBO

— Polokwane Observer (@PolokwaneObserv) May 11, 2026

For the full debate, visit the Polokwane Municipality’s Facebook page.