Chaos behind the counters: Inside the license office of a collapsing South African municipality

The Lichtenburg Licensing Office in the troubled Ditsobotla Local Municipality (DLM) in the North West is, quite literally, collapsing.

Back in 2023, a portion of the municipal-owned building’s roof collapsed due to neglect and lack of maintenance, forcing staff to relocate to the undamaged sections while operations continued in a makeshift manner.

Then, barely a year later in January 2024, the facility had to be closed again following another roof collapse.

This left the equipment and confidential documents at the premises completely exposed by the collapsed roof, something which has never been attended to.

While operations have moved down the road, the municipal building, with all documentation, equipment, and more, remains deteriorating.

Municipal spokesperson Pius Batsile told Newsday that there is no timeline for renovations.

“We do not have any capital for this: We are facing huge financial constraints, operating on an unfunded budget. The money that we do have is dedicated to improving services,” said Batsila.

He said that the municipality hopes that the intervention from the national government would help stabalise finances, so that money can be dedicated to the repairs of the municipal-owned building.

Willie Pretorius, a DA councillor in the municipality, said that the municipality has long cited budgetary constraints as the reason municipal-owned buildings are in the state they are in.

As an example, the town hall and library, also owned by the municipality, are in tatters after a fire destroyed them years ago. No plans of renovation are in sight.

“Where we are now, I don’t foresee repairs happening anytime soon,” he said. “Unfortunately, it is a symbol of the current state of our town.”

Ditsobotla in big trouble

DLM is a significant agricultural hub in the heart of the North West with critical manufacturing, wholesale, and retail industries.

Home to around 165,000 residents across Lichtenburg, Coligny, and Boikhutso, the municipality failed to submit audits over the past two financial years, with disclaimed audits for years prior.

Political chaos has consumed the municipality, resulting in ongoing water and electricity failures and collapsing sanitation and road infrastructure.

President Cyril Ramaphosa visited the municipality in 2022, referring to it as “a town taken over by gangsters,” following repeated failed provincial interventions.

Similarly, Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Velenkosini Hlabisa described it as “one of the ten most distressed municipalities in the country.”

Earlier this month, Hlabisa placed the DLM under national administration.

This followed ongoing reports of a collapse of basic service delivery, political instability, corruption, and financial mismanagement in the district.

“A Recovery Plan will be instituted under the stewardship of the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs and the Department of Finance,” Cabinet said in a statement.

“The Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs will coordinate Inter-Governmental Relations structures to facilitate restoration of administrative functions to assist the municipality in fulfilling its legislative mandate.”

“A Joint Operations Task Team will also focus on criminal activities.”

Piet le Roux, the CEO of non-profit organisation Sakeliga, said the National Government “has finally done the right thing” by intervening after ongoing litigation by his organisation.

“It is shameful that they have only done so after litigation and after Sakeliga had to inform them that we will have public cost orders sought against the President and several ministers if they do not act on their obligations,” he said.

“Whether they properly execute what they should is up to us to evaluate, along with several other organisations. We will monitor and evaluate the success of this national intervention.”

DLM’s political instability worsened the collapse: at one stage the council had two competing mayors and two speakers, deepening dysfunction and stalling governance.

Apart from locals, the municipality’s failures have significantly impacted local business and investment.

Clover closed its flagship cheese factory in Lichtenburg in 2021, which it attributed to poor service delivery and infrastructure problems.

Sakeliga first took the DLM to court years ago, leading to urgent water and electricity interventions.

In October 2023, it won a court order compelling the North West government to act under Section 139(5), but the intervention failed.

In April 2025, Sakeliga escalated the matter, demanding that President Ramaphosa and his cabinet take over under Section 139(7), arguing their failure to act was unlawful.

This was after DLM’s political instability worsened the collapse: at one stage this year the council had two competing mayors and two speakers, deepening dysfunction and stalling governance.

The DA joined the fight by also pushing for national intervention, with MPL Chris Steyl warning that DLM was bankrupt, unable to pay service providers, and suffering collapsed water and electricity infrastructure that left communities without supply for weeks.

The DA repeatedly appealed to national government in letters through May and June to intervene.