Chaos erupted in the Matatiele Local Municipality this afternoon when the Sheriff of the Court stormed the municipal stores and seized several high-value assets — a humiliating first in the municipality’s history. At exactly 3pm, officials watched helplessly as the Sheriff attached a fleet of municipal vehicles, including a brand-new tractor, tipper truck, waste compactor truck, a Toyota Fortuner, a Hilux, and more.
This dramatic showdown comes after Sdumo Trust dragged the municipality to court for failing to pay over R11 million owed for the construction of RDP houses across multiple wards. Despite repeated warnings and legal notices, the municipality failed to act — leading to today’s public and embarrassing seizure.
Last week, The Informer revealed that an emergency council meeting had been convened to address the crisis. But instead of solutions, the virtual meeting collapsed amid allegations of internal sabotage. It was postponed to a physical sitting held on Monday, where councillors reportedly agreed to pay only the R1.7 million interest — a mere fraction of what is owed.
The decision did nothing to stop today’s enforcement action.
Municipal Manager Lizo Matiwane refused to comment, saying only: “I am still doing my consultations. I will release the statement later.”
The community is now left questioning how mismanagement and political infighting allowed the situation to escalate into a national embarrassment.
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