Note to Broadcasters: Please find attached soundbites in English and Afrikaans by Heinricha Hodgson
The Democratic Alliance (DA) in JB Marks has officially handed over thousands of signed petition letters from residents of Potchefstroom and Ventersdorp to the Municipal Demarcation Board (MDB), calling for the reversal of the catastrophic 2015 merger that created the dysfunctional JB Marks Municipality.
This petition campaign, led by DA Caucus Leader Hans Jurie Moolman and launched in 2023, has gained extraordinary momentum in recent weeks. In the absence of formal public hearings, the DA took action to ensure the voices of residents were not silenced. Working closely with community leaders, civic organisations, schools, churches, and businesses, the DA collected individual submissions from residents in support of Demarcation Case DEM8001.(See photos here, here, here, here, and here.)
This is more than a petition, it is a people’s revolt against a decade of decline.
The merger has failed on every front. Instead of improving governance, it collapsed service delivery, destroyed administrative capacity, bankrupted municipal finances, and allowed entrenched corruption to fester. Ventersdorp was marginalised, Potchefstroom was looted, and both towns were betrayed.
Residents of both towns made their message clear:
“We want our municipalities back.”
“We refuse to continue paying the price for political experiments that have failed.”
“We demand to govern ourselves again—competently, fairly, and accountably.”
The DA notes that other previously merged municipalities have already been approved for demerger. There is no longer any valid reason for the continued delay in DEM8001.
We call on the MDB to publish all reports, stakeholder submissions, and the final recommendations on JB Marks without further obstruction. The process must be transparent, inclusive, and driven by the voices of the people—not hidden behind bureaucracy and silence.
The DA thanks every resident who took a stand. This fight is far from over—but the tide is turning. We will not rest until the injustice of this forced merger is undone and both Potchefstroom and Ventersdorp are free to chart their own future.