Teboho Setena
The Mangaung Metro Municipality’s (MMM) executive mayor, Gregory Nthatisi, plans to focus on striking a balance between a range of elements for the full recovery of the kaput municipality.
He has committed himself to strive towards improving governance and the metro’s financial health until he is ready to pass on the baton to the seventh administration.
Nthatisi was speaking during the presentation of the budget for the 2025-’26 financial year of the ANC-led metro on 27 May, in the Mangaung Indoor Sport Centre in Bloemfontein.
The strategic balance approach seeks to deal with chronic wasteful expenditure spanning some decades due to an apparent lack of consequence for mismanagement and improving financial health to deliver much-needed basic services to residents of the metro.
A sharp eye will be kept on Nthatisi to gauge his ability to implement his roadmap to attain the full recovery of the metro, and effectively manage funds allocated for key projects.
His confidence to ride out the storm stems from the stability gained in filling some critical positions in the administration department. ‘Compliance key to reviving Mangaung’He attributes this stability to “a mutual respect and political tolerance that exists.”
Nthatisi revealed the funds allocated to the metro amounted to R301,57 million in the 2025-’26 period, and R319,46 million and R334, 87 million in the two outer years in relation to capital projects. To complement these allocations, he has committed the city to improving the revenue collection rate and strengthening debt collection mechanisms.
“This includes the disconnection of defaulters where necessary. We are partnering with Centlec in this regard to ensure an effective and results-driven collection. This partnership will ensure that not only the water will be disconnected, but the supply of electricity will be denied until a debt settlement agreement is signed or outstanding debt is paid up,” said Nthatisi.
He explained that planned tighter measures arose from the metro’s relief to residents in the writing off of a total of R82 million on R206 million.
“In an effort to provide relief for residential customers, the city approved the Debt Incentive Scheme Policy. This policy is coming to an end on 30 June 2025.
“The city collected R127 million as of the end of April 2025. We are urging citizens to pay willingly and on time. This is your city, our city – we need you. We need you to pay, for us to fix the potholes and provide sustainable service. We express our gratitude to those who pay willingly and on time,” said Nthatisi.
His appeal to residents to pay came in addition to the added relief offered to severely distressed residents, in their inclusion of the 851 indigent applications roll, extending the validity period of the more than 66 000 residents in the Indigent Register of 2025-’27.
“We fully understand that there are those who cannot afford the services. For those, the indigent policy fully covers the household bill for all services with the provision of a maximum of 50 kilowatts of electricity and 6 000 litres of water. Rates, refuse removal, and sanitation are also fully subsidised,” he said.
According to Nthatisi, relief measures translate to a total municipal debt of approximately
R402 million, which was written off.
The metro administration is under pressure from gravely concerned residents, as well as opposition political parties serving in the council.
They want the authority to tighten the belt on its inability to account for chronic wasteful expenditure and manage affairs of the municipality better.
These parties are the DA, EFF, FF Plus, Afrikan Alliance of Social Democrats (AASD), PA, African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP), the African Transformation Movement (ATM) and the Independent Civic Alliance (AIC).
The metro’s challenges are made bare, revealing some are the result of dismal failure to maintain infrastructure and manage finances.
This culminated in Moody’s Investors Services degrading the municipality to junk status in 2019, followed by the metro being placed under administration.
