The South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) has found that more than 70% of municipalities in the Northern Cape may require formal provincial intervention.
The SAHRC this week shared the findings of its investigation into the state of service delivery at the local government level in the province.
During the investigation, at least 35 complaints against the municipalities were heard.
The commission held an inquiry in October 2025 after receiving complaints from residents about poor service delivery.
Its report on the investigation painted a bleak picture of levels of service delivery as communities in the Northern Cape struggle to access basic services such as clean water and sanitation. Some residents are having to deal with raw sewage, unreliable water supply and uncollected waste.
The commission said these failures were serious because they affected people’s health, dignity and living conditions.
“Failures are caused by poor planning, lack of skilled staff, financial mismanagement and weak oversight,” commissioner Henk Boshoff said.
He said the lack of capacity made it difficult for municipalities to manage infrastructure and deliver services properly.
“Some municipalities operate with high vacancy rates, especially in technical and financial departments,” Boshoff said.
The report also found that municipalities have poor audit outcomes and high levels of unauthorised, irregular and wasteful spending.
Municipalities were also struggling to collect revenue due to weak billing systems and low payment levels.
“This leaves them with small funds to maintain infrastructure and provide services.”
The commission made several recommendations to address the crisis.
It called on municipalities to address unauthorised, irregular, fruitless and wasteful expenditure and take action in line with the law.
The commission recommended that municipalities put in place immediate plans to deal with service delivery failures and infrastructure breakdowns, while also reviewing and updating their long-term development and sector plans.
“District municipalities are expected to play a stronger role by supporting local municipalities with planning, co-ordination and oversight,” it said.
The commission also urged the Northern Cape government and provincial Treasury to monitor municipalities and ensure financial recovery plans are implemented.
It also recommended that municipalities that cannot meet their obligations be placed under formal intervention in terms of section 139 of the constitution.
The commission called on the SAPS to prioritise the protection of municipal infrastructure and improve its response to vandalism and theft.
It also recommended that sabotage of water infrastructure be treated as a serious crime, with stronger investigation and prosecution.
The commission urged Eskom to work more closely with municipalities to improve revenue collection in areas where the power utility supplies electricity.
The Vaal Central Water Board was urged to urgently repair and maintain bulk water infrastructure and to consider expanding capacity in areas facing water shortages.
TimesLIVE
Seipati Mothoa
www.timeslive.co.za
