‘Nothing is working’- Can anything save these Northern Cape municipalities?
· Citizen
As we head towards the November Local Government Elections, across the wide expanses of South Africa’s interior are samples of the ubiquitous challenges facing its people.
Two Northern Cape municipalities embody the province’s challenges, one an area whose wealth helped build the country, the other a source of agricultural pride.
Visit somethingsdifferent.biz for more information.
As the elections approach, those who have led the municipalities for decades are campaigning for a chance to rectify matters, while opponents demand change.
Businesses fleeing
A recent report by the South African Human Right Commission (SAHRC) highlighted the widespread service delivery challenges and governance failures across the Northern Cape.
Residents of Kimberley’s Sol Plaatje municipality have seen the decay firsthand, none more so than President of the Northern Cape Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Nocci), Dudley Dally.
“It’s everything. It’s electricity, water, sewer, roads, you name it. Sewage systems collapse. There is nothing operational at the moment.
“We’ve got rivers [of sewerage] flowing all around Kimberley. The roads are underwater, the pipes are bursting,” Dally told The Citizen during our visit to the area.
The trip is part of The Citizen‘s travels across the length and breadth of the country to explore the lives, struggles, successes, and frustrations of everyday South Africans ahead of this year’s local government elections.
He said he had seen no progress or accountability since the SAHRC report was released in April, adding that the situation was driving business and potential private investors away.
Dally explained that Nocci had been “sidelined” by a municipal and provincial leadership that was ignoring a once-flourishing business community.
“We can’t do it because we are not getting any reciprocation from them. We put in proposals, but nothing happens. Absolutely nothing,” Dally said.
WATCH: Leaders and residents in the Northern Cape discuss the status of the province
Not addressing ‘actual causes’
The Sol Plaatje municipality was again placed under Section 139 administration in May, with opposition parties questioning whether those appointed to oversee the process were suitable.
The DA highlighted that several of those appointed by the provincial government had previous allegations of corruption against them.
“This is not driven by a genuine commitment to improving governance and restoring service delivery, but rather by a determination to gain control of the purse strings of the R2.5 billion Budget Facility for Infrastructure (BFI) project,” claimed DA caucus leader Heinrich Pieterse.
The Freedom Front Plus’ (FF+) Theo Joubert, Chair of the Standing Committee on Corporate Governance, Human Settlements and Traditional Affairs, said administration was only effective if the administrators had a clear vision.
“How effective was this [placing the municipality under administration]? Did it speak to the actual causes of the problems, or was it just putting a plaster on a wound?” Joubert told The Citizen.
He highlighted that the water and sewage systems were in a dire state across the provinces, and not due to water scarcity.
“It’s not that the water is not available. It’s available, but the infrastructure is lacking.
“The water purification plants are not working sufficiently. They need to be refurbished as well as expanded to meet the demand,” he explained.
Proposed administrative recovery
Phokwane is a municipality 100km north of Kimberley, covering the three farming communities of Hartswater, Pampierstad and Jan Kempdorp.
Like Sol Plaatje, the SAHRC noted ballooning Eskom and water board debt, a critical skills shortage and consequence management as serious concerns.
Phokwane Mayor Willem Harmse accepted the SAHRC’s assessment, but said matters had improved since the municipality came out of administration in 2021, with him assuming office in 2022.
He said the municipality had rectified its financial statement compliance issues, filled key vacancies and instituted disciplinary policies.
“We now have a fully-staffed senior management, and our disciplinary board is now dealing with all disciplinary issues,” Harmse told The Citizen.
He admitted that water provision and sewer leaks were still an issue, but said repairs to a pump station in Jan Kempdorp had dealt with the lingering stench of sewerage hanging over the town.
“We have repaired almost five kilometres of pipeline, and we have three new pump stations,” Harmse said.
He added that while infrastructure regularly failed, the municipality was working to improve response times and had a payment arrangement with the bulk water supplier to address its debt.
Joubert stressed that total debt had risen from R500 million earlier in the year to just under R800 million currently, with Harmse stating this was due to revenue collection.
“Our revenue collection stands at 58%, which is very low, lower than the expected rate of 80% that we have to collect,” said the mayor, adding that prepaid and smart meters were being installed to address revenue collection.
‘Be patient with us’
In the 2021 local government elections, the ANC received 50.41% of the vote in Sol Plaatje and 47.70% in Phokwane.
ANC regional deputy secretary Mock Mocumi also accepted the SAHRC’s report, but said he was “optimistic” of a turnaround backed by the provincial administrative intervention.
He echoed Harmse’s claims that financial compliance, vacancies and consequence management had been addressed in Phokwane, adding that Sol Plaatje, too, had addressed these issues.
“We are advocating for good governance in the ANC, and we want to make sure that wherever there is malpractice or any other misconduct in different municipalities, consequence management must be instituted,” Mocumi told The Citizen.
He stated payment arrangements had been made with Eskom and bulk water suppliers, confirming the R2.5 billion cash injection is earmarked for infrastructure.
He made assurances that the municipality would prioritise housing, healthcare, water and electricity if entrusted with another five-year term.
Asked whether these promises were mere political rhetoric, Mocumi asked voters to persist with the ANC.
“We are saying to the community, they must just be patient with us to make sure that we achieve all these. We are also committed to making sure that we close that gap where there is a gap,” Mocumi said.
‘It only deteriorates’
On street lights across the two municipalities, ANC and FF+ election posters jostle for supremacy.
However, Mocumi said posters don’t win campaigns, stressing his belief that his party had made great improvements since 1994 and that it was still on an upward trajectory.
Joubert was less convinced, stating that over 20 municipalities in the province were in distress and were hampered by inconsistent and inadequate recovery plans.
“I would say, revisit your policies. It’s clear that the policies currently implemented did not return the results,” said Joubert.
He added that while section 139 interventions gave the impression of action, the measures fell short if not aimed at the right areas.
“It never improves. It only deteriorates. If you don’t address the causes of the symptoms, then you are not going to be successful in implementing Section 139.
“Very few of them were successful, and it’s because they address the wrong issues. They should go to the causes, address the causes, find solutions and implement them,” Joubert concluded.