The National Council of Provinces (NCOP) has blocked a move by the Western Cape Government to place the  Knysna Municipality under administration.

Provincial Minister for Local Government, Anton Bredell, says the decision was driven by politics rather than evidence of the municipality’s dysfunction. He warns that the NCOP ruling leaves the current council in charge, despite its track record of alleged governance failures.

Bredell says appointing an independent administrator could have enabled swift recovery without political interference. He says the province will also be unable to unlock extra funding and resources that would have been available under a section 139 intervention.

VIDEO |Move to place Knysna under administration challenged