The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) in the Free State led a march to the Nala Local Municipality on Tuesday, demanding the immediate release of a critical investigative report and action against municipal leadership over allegations of severe maladministration and corruption.
The protest, which coincided with the International Day for Decent Work, was part of a nationwide strike action called by the federation. Marchers are demanding that a Section 106 report, which stems from investigations into allegations of fraud, corruption, and serious malpractice within the municipality, be made public.
In a significant escalation, COSATU is also demanding a report from the Hawks, the country’s priority crime unit, concerning its own investigators. The union federation alleges that Hawks investigators have failed to act on evidence of wrongdoing that was formally presented to them.
On the ground in Bothaville, the dire state of service delivery was cited as the direct consequence of the alleged corruption. Reporters observed raw sewage flowing in the streets, a visible symbol of the municipality’s failures. Residents have previously protested over a lack of clean water and other essential services.
COSATU’s demands include the immediate removal of the Mayor, the Municipal Manager, and the Chief Financial Officer of the Nala Municipality. The protesters planned to hand a memorandum of demands to Free State Premier, Maqueen Letsoha-Mathae.
COSATU Deputy General Secretary, Gerald Twala, addressed the crowd, outlining the gravity of the situation. “Our issues in the Free State in particular in the local government sector are dire,” Twala stated. “The majority of municipalities in the Free State are non-functional.”
Twala pointed to the unfinished school and complaints about occupational health and safety in local health centres as further evidence of the breakdown. He revealed that COSATU has compiled a file of corruption allegations, which it plans to escalate to national authorities.
Linking the crisis to the upcoming local government elections, Twala called for urgent intervention from the ANC-led government. “If it means indeed acting on the basis of a redeployment of some of the political leaders here, we should do so to bring back the trust and confidence of our people,” he said.
The march in Bothaville was framed by COSATU as a direct effort to pressure the government to address the cost-of-living crisis and the collapse of service delivery that directly impacts residents.