A meeting between stakeholders and the premier of the North West, Job Mokgoro, in Mahikeng on Tuesday - regarding the status of an intervention in the Ditsobotla Local Municipality - revealed that the municipality is deliberately ignoring the implementation of Section 139(1)(b) intervention.

Present at the meeting were community representatives and civil organisations - including SANCO - from various areas and communities that make up the local municipality in Lichtenburg, North West.

"It was brought to the premier's attention that the Ditsobotla Local Municipality, which allegedly barred the administrator from entering municipal premises and executing his duties, has appointed a municipal manager without the consent and participation of the administrator in that process and the council is deliberately ignoring the implementation of the Section 139(1)(b) intervention," Mokgoro's spokesperson, Vuyisile Ngesi, said in a statement on Tuesday.

As a result, Mokgoro resolved to review and set aside any decision taken by the council, in the absence of the administrator, with immediate effect.

"Those decisions are legally regarded as irregular and this applies to yesterday's appointment of the municipal manager by the council as well as any financial commitments made by it or the municipal manager," Ngesi explained.

In addition, Mokgoro declared all decisions of the municipal manager as null and void "as his appointment is irregular".

The premier also launched a forensic investigation into the financial affairs of the municipality with immediate effect, and reinstated the administrator.

"The administrator is to take over all the affairs of the Ditsobotla Local Municipality and, in addition, the North West provincial government will provide the administrator with the necessary security due to identified threats to his safety," Ngesi added.

Mokgoro also decided to immediately interdict any further expenditure informed by the irregular council resolutions, which had committed municipal funds without the consent and/or participation of the administrator. 

The municipality made headlines in 2017 when its mayor, Daniel Buthelezi, was held hostage by disgruntled residents.

Municipal spokesperson Pius Batsile told News24 at the time that Buthelezi was locked in a meeting with residents from Boikhutso in the North West.