Honourable Councillors, 

On behalf of the National Cabinet, and as the Minister of Finance, I would like to congratulate you on your election as the new municipal council of Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality in this 6th term of local government administration. 

Unfortunately, your term coincides with formidable challenges faced by the municipality, challenges that must be urgently addressed. The 5th term ended poorly, with the performance of this and many other municipalities in the country in an undesirable financial state. Specifically, the Mangaung Municipality has been under administrative intervention in terms of Section 139 (5)(a) and (c) of the Constitution, and it saddens me that despite such intervention, no visible improvement can be found in your financial and service delivery performance. 

See attachments for full speech.