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• National Treasury acts after repeated failures to comply with financial legislation.
• More than half of the province's municipalities have failed residents through poor governance.
• Your vote in 2026 can put North West back on the road to recovery.

The Democratic Alliance (DA) welcomes National Treasury's decisive action to temporarily withhold July 2026 equitable share transfers from municipalities that have persistently failed to comply with the law. This demonstrates government's commitment to protecting the public purse, enforcing financial accountability, and ensuring municipalities comply with the Municipal Finance Management Act.

Unfortunately, this intervention also exposes the devastating consequences of years of ANC mismanagement in the North West. Twelve of the province's 22 municipalities have had their July 2026 equitable share transfers temporarily withheld because of persistent financial mismanagement and repeated failures to comply with the law.

The affected municipalities are Madibeng, Kgetlengrivier, Tswaing, Mahikeng, Ditsobotla, Ngaka Modiri Molema District Municipality, Naledi, Mamusa, Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati District Municipality, City of Matlosana, Maquassi Hills and JB Marks.

More than half of the municipalities in the North West have therefore failed the basic test of responsible governance.

This is not the DA's assessment.

It is the conclusion reached by National Treasury after municipalities repeatedly ignored support, guidance and formal warnings to comply with the Municipal Finance Management Act (MFMA). Treasury identified persistent failures to adopt funded budgets, address unauthorised, irregular, fruitless and wasteful expenditure, enforce consequence management and ensure effective oversight through Municipal Public Accounts Committees.

When governments fail financially, communities pay the price.

North West did not arrive here overnight.

The recent local government audit outcomes exposed municipalities plagued by weak governance, financial indiscipline and billions lost through unauthorised, irregular, fruitless and wasteful expenditure. National Treasury's decision to withhold equitable share allocations confirms that these failures can no longer be ignored.

The ANC can no longer blame history, budget constraints or anyone else.

After decades in government, municipalities are failing because accountability has been replaced by political protection, competence by cadre deployment and consequence management by impunity.

As the 2026 Local Government Elections approach, the choice before voters has never been clearer.

You cannot continue voting for failure and expect functioning municipalities.

The ballot paper is about far more than electing councillors. It is about deciding whether municipalities obey the law, spend public money responsibly, and deliver the basic services that residents pay for and deserve.

The DA in North West has consistently fought for clean governance, professional public administration and real consequence management. We believe public money belongs to the people, not to corruption, patronage, or political insiders.

The diagnosis is complete.

The Auditor-General has spoken.

National Treasury has acted.

Communities are living the consequences every day.

Now only the voters can prescribe the cure.

Issued by: Freddy Sonakile MPL - DA Provincial Leader, North West