OPINION | People of the failed North West nostalgic for old Bophuthatswana

People do not work in the North West Province. The government, too, does not work. Nothing works.

Formerly known as Bophuthatswana, the North West Province is now known as the worst employer in the country, with more than 50% of working age citizens unemployed. 

Rampant corruption, nepotism, cronyism, ineptitude and patronage have led to the complete collapse of almost all 23 municipalities, including four district municipalities.

The dismal failure of the municipalities and provincial government has led to regular and violent community protests due to non-existent service delivery. 

What is evident is that current economic policies are failing to drive job creation in strategic economic sectors such as mining, agriculture and tourism as they are unable to employ more people.

Provincial and local governments do not have what it takes to get out of this dire economic circumstance because of incompetence and corruption.

Companies such as Clover, the country’s leading dairy company, had to relocate to other provinces due to the failure of Ditsobotla local municipality and Ngaka Modiri Molema district municipality to provide basic service delivery such as water, roads and electricity.

This has had negative ramifications for the labour market in the province.

Ailing and ageing public infrastructure such as roads, water and other public facilities has worsened the status quo in the North West Province without any intervention by relevant authorities.

It is this deterioration of infrastructure that instils nostalgia for Lucas Mangope’s Bophuthatswana regime, now seen as the best model of ever to have existed in this province. 

With its more than 50% of adults who are economically passive and disengaged due to less economic activities, this is one of the most depressing provinces in the country. And, as could be expected due to this depressing state, the youth are also disengaged from the issues of politics and governance which affect their daily lives. There are also ineffective opposition parties able to confront the ANC’s failure to govern.

By around mid-2023, about seven municipalities had been placed under provincial administration as a result of financial misconduct and their failure to meet constitutional obligations.

Such constitutional measures have not proven to be effective, as many of the municipalities in the North West continue to disregard their constitutional mandate of enhancing provisions of service delivery.

The auditor-general (AG) revealed late last year that the current municipal manager, Lloyd Leoko, was found to have failed his matric and was thus an irregular appointment.

Another troubled North West municipality, Ramotshere Moiloa in Zeerust, appointed Lekgetho Mokgatlhe who, controversially, was at the time of his appointment facing fraud and corruption charges from his previous employment at Dihlabeng local municipality in the Free State.

It is clear from this backdrop that the North West provincial government is not committed to clean, ethical and efficient government at the level of both local and provincial government as they do not seriously deal with the rot emerging in their faces.

They are hell-bent on protecting each other and advancing factional political lines while the poor are left to fend for themselves without basic service delivery.

• Mokgatlhe is a freelance writer, researcher and analyst