Infighting paralyses hung Thabazimbi municipality

Political parties in Thabazimbi municipality, located in the Limpopo province of South Africa, claim that ongoing political infighting is preventing the council from functioning effectively. Since the 2021 local government elections, the council has been classified as "hung," meaning it is composed of multiple parties without a clear majority.

The council includes representatives from the African National Congress (ANC), Democratic Alliance (DA), Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), Labour Party, Thabazimbi Residents Association, and the MKP party. Both the DA and EFF have stated that the ongoing disputes are hindering the delivery of essential services to the community.

Councillors Estie Fourie from the DA and Sello Mohutsiwa from the EFF have pointed out that the political divisions have once again led to parallel structures within the council. They explain that the council currently has two mayors and two speakers, resulting in significant chaos and gridlock. The previous speaker was suspended by his own party in June and July, and the Labour Party elected a new mayor and speaker.

As a result, the council found itself in a situation where it needed to hold by-elections, which led to the party's return to power. However, the EFF argues that the municipality cannot be dissolved twice.

Despite the political stalemate, Thabazimbi's mayoral spokesperson, Joshua Motsomane, claims that the municipality is functioning well administratively. He states that they have a municipal manager and a management team in place. However, Motsomane acknowledges that politically, the situation is challenging, with some councillors no longer willing to return or representing their political parties. Currently, there is only one mayor, who was sworn in as the mayor or inaugurated in that role.