The South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) has released a scathing report revealing extensive service delivery failures and systemic governance breakdowns across municipalities in the North West Province.
The report, titled Investigative Report into the State of Municipal Service Delivery in the North West, released on Tuesday morning, details how majority of municipalities in the province are violating residents’ constitutional rights by failing to provide basic services such as water, sanitation, waste management, electricity and road maintenance.
Broader crisis of governance
“The complaints investigated in this report reflect a broader crisis of governance and service delivery in the North West Province. Without decisive action, residents will continue to experience daily violations of their rights, undermining their dignity, health, and security,” it reads.
The commission’s findings stem from a systemic investigation launched after a growing number of complaints from residents, civil society groups, political organisations and the commission’s own monitoring efforts.
According to the SAHRC, many municipalities are falling far short of their constitutional and statutory obligations. This is particularly those set out in sections 152 and 153 of the Constitution and the Water Services Act.
The report cites ongoing failures to supply clean drinking water, maintain sanitation systems and prevent sewage spillages. Communities also face inconsistent waste collection, unreliable electricity supply, unmanaged illegal dumping and deteriorating roads and stormwater systems. These failures, the commission notes, directly undermine residents’ dignity, health and security.
Series of failures
The Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati District Municipality has widespread water shortages, poor water quality, and sewage spillages in Bloemhof, Reivilo, Ganyesa, and Huhudi. Mahikeng Local Municipality is unable to manage illegal dumping and stormwater flooding near Bophelong Hospital. While Ditsobotla Local Municipality is taking its time completing the road project in Itsoseng Zone 2.
What the commission finds most alarming is the persistence of these problems despite previous interventions. The report highlights instances where municipalities either took no remedial action or relied on short-term fixes. The latter failed to address underlying issues.
Court orders, engagements with the commission and warnings flagged by the Auditor-General have done little to shift patterns of non-compliance. This, the SAHRC says, reflects a troubling disregard for residents’ rights.
Site inspections conducted during the investigation uncovered additional service delivery problems beyond those raised in formal complaints. This further pointed to structural failures in both municipal and provincial governance. The commission warns that the continued influx of complaints suggests a province-wide crisis rather than isolated lapses.
The SAHRC concludes that without urgent intervention, residents will continue to endure daily violations of their socio-economic rights. It calls for immediate implementation of its recommendations to restore functionality and accountability in affected municipalities. And to protect the basic rights of communities across the province.
Recommendations
The recommendations include deploying operational teams to resolve sewage spillages within 24-hours of reporting. And submitting a 30-day progress report on remedial actions taken. This will be coupled with implementing time-bound action plans within 90 days. To permanently address systemic service delivery challenges, and remediate environmental damage caused by sewage, waste, and illegal dumping.
“The provincial government, in turn, must exercise more rigorous oversight and support in line with its constitutional mandate. Ensuring that municipalities are capacitated to meet their obligations. The provincial government must also provide technical and financial support where municipal capacity is lacking,” it reads.
