A high-level investigation into the affairs of the Makhado Municipality commenced last week when a provincial government official said that intervention from their side might be needed.

Mr HS Mashele, the assistant manager: client services of the MEC for Local Governance, met with members of the Chairpersons’ Association (CA), the agricultural union TAU SA North and other stakeholders at the Lalapanzi Hotel on March 8.

Mr Mashele is tasked with investigating cases of service delivery all over the province. He conducts meetings with the concerned parties separately, then with the municipality and then with all roleplayers together.

"Only afterwards should we consider the coming in of the Scorpions," Mr Mashele said in response to a proposal that the Scorpions be brought in, considering Council’s financial disorder.

The matters on the agenda were practical transparency and the free flow of information between the council, the municipality and the public, sensitivity towards the needs of all people including minorities and taxpayers, the answering of letters, anti-nepotism and anti-corruption programmes with target dates, accountability and monitoring of performance of councillors and the municipality and the free flow of such information to the public, proper practical training programmes, minimum qualifications or training courses before a councillor can be elected, bona fide consultations with the public, and the municipal tax policy. The way the municipality is handling the Property Rates Act received much attention and was a practical demonstration of most of the matters on the agenda.

Mr André Naudé, chairperson of the CA, said that their letters concerning the act had not been not answered. Council showed a total insensitivity to the needs of the people by not responding to letters and by pushing through their decisions without proper consultation.

"This consists a mala fide imposing on the rights of the public," Mr Naudé said.

Mr Fritz Ahrens of TAU SA North was asked to make a presentation of the letters forwarded to the office of the MEC. The Property Rates Act once again served as an example of a denial of human rights since the meetings in that regard were conducted on Sundays when Christians were attending church and the meetings were conducted only in Venda. The information published regarding the meeting was also misleading. The meeting on the valuation roll held on February 13 this year also referred and was not regarded by TAU SA as ‘consultation’ and its members will not cooperate in the valuation process before "our letters have been answered and the process correctly followed."

Mr Brian du Plooy of the Democratic Alliance said that the heart and soul of the problems of the municipality were its financial disorder as seen in the auditor general’s report.

It was said that the council had a credit of R20million and now a debt in the order of R90million. The question was also raised how it was possible to misplace R4.6million of cheques.

Mr Naudé requested the local government to go into action with target dates.

In closing, Mr Mashele said: "We would like to retain you as businesspeople. The situation is deteriorating and businesspeople will consider greener pastures. It needs our intervention."