Fezile Dabi MM Sipho Thomas
The Fezile Dabi District Municipality has officially handed over completed Municipal Infrastructure Grant (MIG) projects to the Mafube Local Municipality, confirming that the developments exist, are functional, and are now recorded as municipal assets. Municipal Manager Sipho Thomas emphasised that critics who claimed “the projects don’t exist” were invited to verify the infrastructure on site but failed to attend.
The district’s open media tour and multi-site handovers in Villiers, Frankfort (Namahadi) and Tweeling on Friday, 29 August 2025, showcased water, sanitation, and recreational projects designed to restore public confidence and demonstrate basic services that residents can “see, feel and touch.”
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‘Come and see’: open verification and transparency
The municipality made a point of inviting all media houses—including those that previously published negative claims—offering them the opportunity to inspect the infrastructure directly.
The day’s programme was structured as a transparent handover tour:
• Villiers: A refurbished pump station was delivered, strengthening water reliability.
• Frankfort (Namahadi): The upgraded Zomba Sports Ground was officially handed over, along with a sewer pipe bridge to combat spillages and protect environmental health.
• Tweeling: Borehole projects and a pump-station refurbishment were handed over, ensuring potable water supply for residents.
By opening the sites to public and media scrutiny, the district underscored its message: accountability comes through access, not speculation.
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Rebutting the borehole controversy
Earlier this year, widespread claims by City Press alleged that Fezile Dabi had spent R6.4 million on boreholes that “could not be accounted for,” with insinuations that one was drilled on a senior official’s private property.
District Municipal Manager Sipho Thomas dismissed these allegations in strong terms:
“There have been accusations or information going around to say that the R6.4 million was used to drill and equip boreholes at a private property. Let’s put it very clear and open. We invited media houses here so they can see that all those boreholes were drilled and equipped in Mafube communities and not anywhere else. These allegations are unfounded and that information is very malicious.”
The handover programme allowed officials to point directly to the completed boreholes and refute the allegations on the ground.
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Thomas: ‘Completed projects are now assets’
Thomas highlighted that the district was not delivering unfinished work but completed projects that are now formally assets of Mafube Local Municipality.
“Today is a big day for the communities of Frankfort, Tweeling and Villiers. We are not handing over projects in progress, but completed projects that are now municipal assets. What makes me extremely happy is that cooperative governance was demonstrated live, with all three spheres of government present and contributing to this work. Speculation that the cooperation between Fezile Dabi District Municipality and Mafube Local Municipality had other motives besides development has now been proven false. These projects were planned, finished, and are now handed over.”
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Oversight and accountability from leadership
Executive Mayor Dennis Khasudi praised the projects, particularly the nine boreholes in Tweeling, and appealed to communities to safeguard new infrastructure:
“The community of Mafube will now be able to access drinkable water. We appeal to the community to take responsibility for this infrastructure. These are lifetime projects meant to benefit the community, and they must be protected.”
MMC for Infrastructure Nick Müller said the district acted as implementing agent to ensure that quality standards were met:
“We monitored and evaluated workmanship to ensure projects were completed correctly and on time. Although the projects had to be re-gazetted to us, and the timeframe was short, we did well under the circumstances. We have learned a lot and look forward to future projects.”
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Why the district intervened
Mafube Local Municipality has been under Section 139(5) intervention due to financial and governance challenges. Under this framework, portions of its MIG funding were re-gazetted to the district to ensure service delivery.
Mayor Tlhoare Motsoeneng said Mafube opted to continue this arrangement:
“Our municipality faced challenges in fully implementing projects, so we re-gazetted our MIG funding to the district. Today, those projects have been completed and handed back to us. For this financial year, we have again chosen to work with the district to resolve more of our problems. This is not about politics—it is about service delivery and ensuring that communities receive the services they deserve.”
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MEC Mokoena: services residents can ‘see, feel and touch’
Free State MEC for Cooperative Governance, Traditional Affairs and Human Settlements Saki Mokoena underlined the province’s focus on basic services and accountability:
“Today’s handovers are not just about infrastructure, but about giving our people the basic services they rightfully deserve. Clean water, proper sanitation and recreational facilities are the foundations of a healthy community. We want our people to see, feel and touch the services.”
Mokoena stressed that Mafube’s recovery is part of the broader Vaal River City Region economic vision, where reliable municipal services form the base for agricultural growth, investment and job creation.
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Real impact for Mafube residents
• Water reliability: Boreholes and pump-station upgrades strengthen household supply, especially during bulk-supply interruptions.
• Health protection: The sewer pipe bridge addresses chronic spillage issues that previously threatened communities and the Vaal system.
• Youth development: The Zomba Sports Ground in Namahadi provides a safe, fenced space for sport, recreation and community cohesion.
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