NORTH WEST — While the JB Marks Local Municipality has successfully secured an unqualified audit opinion for the 2024/25 financial year, a stark disconnect remains between the clean financial bill of health and the deteriorating living conditions experienced by residents on the ground.
The Auditor-General’s latest outcomes praised the local authority’s financial management but cautioned that significant compliance issues still require attention. The municipal executive has hailed the unqualified opinion as a direct reflection of the rigorous work undertaken to reverse years of poor governance. However, for the local community, these administrative victories feel entirely disconnected from their daily struggles. Residents point to widespread infrastructure decay, highlighting non-functional streetlights, severe potholes, and raw sewage contaminating local rivers as evidence that the much-touted governance improvements have yet to materialize in their neighborhoods.
Echoing these sentiments, a spokesperson for the official opposition argued that the region’s decline accelerated following the amalgamation of local administrative areas. The opposition noted that the area was historically regarded as a flagship and one of the best-run local authorities in the country. However, they warned that crippling infrastructure capacity constraints are now stifling economic expansion, preventing the municipality from expanding its services, and ultimately deterring potential investors from the city.
Addressing the way forward, a local community activist emphasized that resolving the crisis hinges on genuine collaboration. The activist called for transparent, frank dialogues between elected representatives and the public, insisting that meaningful community participation is the only way to hold politicians accountable and reverse the area’s decline.
Defending its record, the JB Marks municipal executive acknowledged the service delivery backlog but attributed the historical decline to severe external financial shocks and internal mismanagement. According to the municipal spokesperson, the financial deterioration peaked during the 2022/23 financial year when the energy regulator NERSA and Eskom implemented massive tariff hikes of nearly 18% and 12%, respectively. This pushed the municipality’s debt to the power utility to between R500 million and R700 million. The executive highlighted that a structured five-year repayment plan was subsequently negotiated with Eskom, and the municipality has maintained a flawless payment record since the agreement was finalized.
Beyond financial pressures, the leadership cited internal institutional failures, specifically a poorly monitored and highly decentralized supply chain management system that was fragmented across various departments.
Furthermore, the executive defended the controversial merger of a previously struggling area with a high-performing one. They explained that the consolidation was a cooperative governance strategy designed to leverage resources and ensure equitable service delivery across all communities.
The political landscape adds another layer of complexity to the region. Following the 2021 local government elections, the African National Congress (ANC) solidified its control over the area through a coalition agreement with the Patriotic Alliance.
As the municipality heads into a highly contested upcoming election cycle, the executive maintains that operations have stabilized. They assert that governance structures are now functioning properly and that service delivery is becoming increasingly inclusive across all areas under the JB Marks jurisdiction, including Potchefstroom and Ventersdorp.