ngokuvamile, isitayela se--provence yindlela engcono kakhulu yezindawo ezizimele, esimweni lapho ifasitela ishiya khona indawo yokuqala, ngakho--ke ukuthi ayidingi ikhethini. ekuqaleni, lesi sitayela kwakubhekwa ngokuthi ""zasemaphandleni"", futhi amafasitela ayengaba usayizi omncane. ANC councillors in the troubled Mnquma Local Municipality had been involved in continuous infighting and court battles since the days of the controversial mayor Anthony Bam. This led to the then Butterworth Municipality being taken over by the provincial government and the National Council of Provinces in terms of section 139 of the Constitution in 1996. As the first municipality to be run under this arrangement in the history of the democratic South Africa, then local government MEC Smuts Ngonyama "put aside the councillors and removed Bam while installing an administrator to run the affairs of the municipality.” In March 2009, Sicelo Shiceka, the late Minister of Cooperative Gorvenance and Traditional Affairs, accompanied by the then MEC for Lcoal Government, Tokozile Xasa, placed the municipality under administration citing corruption and maladministration.