Democratic Alliance (DA) leader Helen Zille on Sunday criticised the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Sicelo Shiceka, of neglecting municipalities that are in dire straits.

Addressing residents of Shayamoya in the Kokstad municipality in KwaZulu-Natal, Zille said Shiceka was instead targeting municipalities that work, adding that he should focus on Kokstad and not Cape Town where her party governs.

"This is despite that the City is being rated number one in the country for service delivery.

"[His] obsession with Cape Town has nothing to with conditions on the ground, but everything to do with trying to smear his political opponents. This is why his priorities are wrong," she said.

Shayamoya has been faced with water supply and sanitation problems among others.

Zille said the reason why service delivery was lagging behind in the area was because 90% of officials were appointed not for their skills but for their connections with the African National Congress.

"This explains why you are in this situation. Unless the right people are appointed in the right positions, service delivery will not happen," she said.