The Mpumalanga Cooperative Governance and Human Settlements Department has given municipalities 14 days to constitute councils.
MEC Speed Mashilo says his department has already issued guidelines outlining the dates by which first council meetings must be convened.
At least 14 of the province’s 17 municipalities are hung.
“By Wednesday, the law says the Electoral Commission (IEC) must have provided municipal offices with the list of elected councillors with addresses, and subsequently, a municipal manager must therefore issue invitations to all elected councillors so that they then convene, and that must happen before the 20th, which is 14 days starting from today…And in those 14 days, the district must also take place.”
Mashilo further said that should the elected parties fail to reach an agreement, a panel will be appointed to find a solution.
“In events they can’t come to a particular conclusion, even after the mediation, that’s where we will activate the law. Either we dissolve that municipality for re-election so that at least the majority can come into the picture and elect councillors, but we don’t hope we will arrive there. We believe all political parties are mature enough to make sure that they now deliver services to communities.”