No ‘other option' — Western Cape MEC Anton Bredell seeks to dissolve Knysna council
The Western Cape government is threatening to dissolve the Knysna council, which has made headlines over political instability and service delivery problems.
'Our options simply ran out,' said Anton Bredell, the Western Cape MEC for Local Government, as he explained why he sent a letter to the Knysna Municipality, informing it that he was considering recommending that the municipal council be dissolved.
Bredell made the comments on Thursday, 26 June, during a sitting of the Western Cape Legislature. He was speaking after an earlier announcement of his intention to dissolve the troubled Garden Route municipality, which has made headlines for political instability and service delivery problems.
During the legislature's debate on coalition instability in the Western Cape, Knysna frequently came up. After the 2021 local government elections, it was one of 16 hung councils in the province.
Initially, the 21-seat council was run by a coalition of the Democratic Alliance (DA) and local party, the Knysna Independent Movement (KIM). But since mid-2022, Knysna has been governed by a coalition of the African National Congress (ANC), Patriotic Alliance (PA) and a local party, the Plaaslike Besorgde Inwoners (PBI).
That coalition has resulted in several headlines, including for sewage spills, which prompted health concerns and provincial intervention, and service delivery collapse, which fuelled a political blame game.
In May 2025, wards in the municipality were left without water when the town's main domestic water pump broke. This occurred amid a voter registration weekend, which saw a Gift of the Givers tanker attacked during ANC factional infighting.
Bredell said Knysna was an example of a municipality that 'doesn't have financial problems, but a municipality that ignores rules'. He said that service delivery collapsed as a result.
He said the decision to send the letter of intention to intervene was an 'embarrassment to the municipality, but our options simply ran out'.
The intention to intervene
According to a media release by Bredell's office on Thursday, the MEC sent the municipality a letter saying he intends to intervene under Section 139 of the Constitution 'due to protracted and ongoing systemic governance and service delivery failures'.
Bredell told the municipality he was considering 'making a recommendation to the Provincial Cabinet that the municipal council be dissolved'. The notice allows the municipality an opportunity to respond to the proposed intention.
'This decision to issue a notice of intention to intervene demonstrates the Western Cape Government's commitment to restoring good governance and ensuring that the residents of Knysna receive the basic municipal services to which they are entitled,' said Bredell.
According to Bredell, the municipality failed to adopt a diagnostic assessment report along with a support plan.
In March 2024, the province issued a 100-page diagnostic report which detailed a range of problems in the municipality: council dysfunctionality, unaccountability among administrative staff, councillors allegedly interfering with by-law enforcement, non and poor performance, and high vacancy rates within the key infrastructure department.
The municipality says it has implemented aspects of the diagnostic and support plan.
According to the statement, despite various interventions from the province, including emergency water tankers, financial support and technical assistance, 'the municipality has not prioritised addressing its executive obligation failures. Consequently, the situation continues to deteriorate, even with the assistance from the national and provincial governments.'
The statement continued: 'The municipality's failure to rectify its lapses in service delivery resulted in numerous directives and notices being issued by agencies tasked with environmental compliance and enforcement.'
'Politics at play'
In response, Knysna municipal manager Lulamile Mapholoba told Daily Maverick: 'I can confirm that the letter was received. We are currently in the process of preparing a response within the stipulated timeframe of 10 calendar days. A special council meeting will be convened next week to formulate this response.'
Daily Maverick reported in 2024 that community leader Ralph Stander said dissolving the council and having fresh elections should occur in Knysna, as councillors seemed to be taking instructions from political parties situated outside the municipality, rather than from residents.
During the debate in the Western Cape Legislature on Thursday, ANC caucus leader Khalid Sayed thanked residents of Ward 8 (the same area where the Gift of the Givers water tanker was attacked) for voting for the party in by-elections this week.
As elections analyst Wayne Sussman wrote in Daily Maverick on Thursday, the ANC won 52% of the vote, which was down from 2021's 72%. This means axed mayor Aubrey Tsengwa, who was removed as mayor during a special council sitting on 14 February and then resigned as ward councillor shortly thereafter, will return to council.
Sayed said: 'In response, the DA seeks to dissolve the council because they see that the coalition will now remain, to continue honestly addressing the challenges.'
Daily Maverick previously reported that new Knysna Mayor Thando Matika, from the ANC, wants the municipality to invest in infrastructure to address the challenges that plague the 'Jewel of the Garden Route'. DM
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