METRO BOUND: MAYOR MPE DELIVERS TURNAROUND SOCA AS POLOKWANE PROVES IT’S READY FOR THE NEXT LEVEL
- Mpho Dube
- 1 day ago
- 4 min read
From zero unspent grants to 1,195 housing units, 2,500 solar streetlights and R157m relief for the poor, Cllr Makoro John Mpe’s 2026 SOCA shows a city building, moving and united.
By Mpho Dube, Editor-in-Chief
The Azanian | Truth. Fearless. Unfiltered.
Polokwane is not asking for metro status. It is earning it.
Under Executive Mayor Cllr Makoro John Mpe, the city has moved from financial distress to financial soundness, delivered 4 consecutive clean audits, and turned discipline into visible delivery.
The 2026 State of the City Address lays it out: 1,195 social housing units handed over, over 25,900 households connected to water, 2,500 solar streetlights rolled out, and Leeto La Polokwane now moving 100,000 passengers every month.
This is a municipality that pays its bills on time, protects the poor with R157m in relief, and builds roads, housing and transport that connect people to opportunity. The message from Jack Botes Hall is clear. Polokwane is building, accountable, and ready to take its place as South Africa’s next metropolitan municipality.
“Great cities are not built by concrete alone, but by the collective courage of a people determined to shape their own destiny.”
With that opening line at Jack Botes Hall on 08 May 2026, Executive Mayor Cllr Makoro John Mpe delivered a State of the City Address that made one thing clear: Polokwane is building, moving, and ready for metro status.
The foundation is financial discipline. Polokwane Municipality has clinched its fourth consecutive unqualified audit opinion from the Auditor-General, presented to Council on 29 January 2026 alongside the 2024/25 Annual Report. Both the municipality and its housing entity, the Polokwane Housing Association, secured clean audits.
“Excellence is becoming our tradition,” the city declared. The achievement underscores Mayor Mpe’s commitment to transparency and accountability, with City Manager Thuso Nemugumoni implementing strategies to ensure clean, credible financial statements.
That discipline translated into delivery. Unspent conditional grants fell from R155.8 million to zero. For the first time in years, 100% of creditor invoices, including Eskom and Lepelle Northern Water, are paid within 30 days. Overtime costs dropped from R113.6 million to R68.2 million.
While fixing the books, the city protected the poor. R157 million is set aside to cushion indigent households against rising electricity and water tariffs.
Housing delivery has accelerated under Mayor Mpe’s leadership. Social housing stock now stands at 1,195 units through the Polokwane Housing Association. Annadale Extension 2 is complete with 290 families moved in. Another 404 units are under construction, with 150 more delivered in Extensions 126 and 127.
Water security has improved dramatically. The Seshego Water Treatment Plant now provides over 50% of Seshego’s water needs, adding 8-10 megalitres daily. Over 25,900 households have gained access through 46 completed projects worth R907 million.
On safety and sustainability, 260 solar streetlights and 37 solar high mast lights went up this year. Another 2,500 solar streetlights and 40 high mass lights are on the way for intersections and crime hotspots to deter theft and vandalism.
The results haven’t gone unnoticed. In March 2026, ANC Head of Presidency Sibongile Besani led a high-level delegation on oversight visits and called Polokwane Municipality “a paragon of service delivery” under Mayor Mpe’s leadership.
“Polokwane city has received four consecutive unqualified audit reports, and it’s clear that the people are being serviced,” Besani said.
The delegation inspected the Seshego Water Treatment Plant, over 10km of rehabilitated roads, and new BRT stations. Mayor Mpe responded: “As Steve Biko once said, ‘It is better to die for an idea that will live than to live for an idea that will die.’ We are equal to the task and we will not rest until every citizen has access to quality services.”
Residents are feeling it. “The new water treatment plant has made a huge difference in our lives. We no longer have to worry about clean water,” said local resident Maria Phiri.
Through EPWP alone, 22,640 work opportunities were created. Catalytic projects like The Greenery, Green Arch Precinct, and the new Limpopo Central Academic Hospital are set to add thousands more.
Youth development is central: 117 graduates employed, 186 youth placed in municipal roles, 187 bursaries and 495 learnerships awarded.
Leeto La Polokwane now carries over 100,000 passengers monthly, up from 8,495, with the Thabo Mbeki Bus Station serving as a modern transport hub. Rural roads in Mountain View, Mankgaile, Ga-Mokoatedi, Ga-Rachidi and Solomondale have been paved, linking villages to schools and clinics.
Closing with Dickens, Mayor Mpe said: “I see a beautiful city and a brilliant people rising from this abyss… It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done.”
“Long after speeches are forgotten, roads will remain tarred, water will flow, buses will move, and reforms will strengthen this municipality. That is legacy.”
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