Deepening divisions within the African National Congress (ANC) have plunged the City of Matlosana Local Municipality into a severe governance crisis, halting basic services and triggering potential provincial intervention.
The standoff centres on the dismissal of former Chief Financial Officer Mercy Phetla, who was removed from her position after a disciplinary hearing found her guilty of misconduct. The charges included allegedly receiving a R1.4 million luxury vehicle from a service provider and authorising R6 million in fraudulent payments. Despite the disciplinary board’s recommendation and the implementation of her dismissal, some ANC councillors have demanded her reinstatement, exposing bitter factional rifts that have turned a personnel matter into open political warfare.
Mayor Fikile Mahlophe has led a group firmly opposing any reversal of the dismissal, insisting that due process was followed and that Phetla will not be reinstated. The municipality’s official position remains clear: “The former CFO remains dismissed as per the recommendation of the disciplinary board.”
Opposing this stance, another ANC-aligned faction has pushed for Phetla’s return, deepening the divide. The conflict has spilled over into attempts to discipline the municipal manager, Lesego Seametso, with councillors debating his possible suspension or removal. Critics argue that charges against him relate more to non-performance than clear misconduct, lacking substantial evidence of legal breaches.
An Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) representative highlighted the confusion, stating: “To get rid or suspend an MM, you have to understand the difference between non-performance… Misconduct is where you break the law. And clearly they do not understand because as so far there’s no substantial evidence that the MM has broken any law.” The EFF distanced itself from ANC factions, noting divisions between the mayor’s group and the chief whip’s faction, while committing to assess the Auditor-General’s findings before acting.
The municipality has dismissed claims of deep ANC caucus divisions, describing differing views among councillors as normal democratic debate that is resolved once decisions are finalised. “Where we are seated is not an issue of factions… once the issues are then ironed out,” a municipal spokesperson said.
Matlosana is already under intense scrutiny following a 2023 qualified audit opinion from the Auditor-General, attributed to late Eskom payments, high vacancies in senior management, and excessive reliance on consultants. These issues have compounded the current chaos, leaving residents to bear the brunt of failing services.
Community members expressed deep frustration. One resident said: “If they keep on taking community money and using it for them to benefit it is a problem to us because we are going to suffer a lot more especially we are suffering right now. We are living in a bad environment. This is not a good environment for a human being.”
Others pointed to long-standing problems: “The issues that we have is the roads. The municipality is not coming to fix the roads. This road has been like this for over 10 years. Another thing is the sewage. We always having problems with the sewage and this sewage is always passes by our houses… Last time my son had an issue with his stomach because he ate something from the soil that had sewage.”
A council meeting is scheduled for Friday to decide the municipal manager’s fate. Last month, the North West Provincial Government resolved to invoke Section 139(1)(b) of the Constitution, paving the way for provincial administration to take over key functions amid the governance breakdown.
The ongoing crisis has brought service delivery in water, sanitation, and road maintenance to a virtual standstill, further eroding public trust in local governance.