BONUS - RUSTENBURG -The DA has responded to an investigative report released last week by the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC), confirming that North West municipalities fail to deliver services and that these systemic failures, specifically in relation to water and electricity supply, sanitation and refuse collection services and road maintenance, violate the basic Human Rights of residents.
The report found that the North West Provincial Government and 14 municipalities are in breach of their constitutional and legislative mandates.
Almost three decades of continuous failed governance and cadre deployment have led to the total collapse of bulk and basic infrastructure throughout NW. As a consequence, the delivery of basic services has either completely collapsed or is so erratic that it cannot even be considered as service delivery.
The persistent lack of water and electricity supply, dilapidated roads and crumbling infrastructure directly contribute to the collapsed provincial economy, recording the highest unemployment rate in the country at 52.2%. More than a million North West residents who can work can’t find a job.
Poor sanitation services not only pollute communities and expose residents to disease, but they also poison fresh water sources. This pollution also threatens the viability of commercial agriculture as well as subsistence and communal farming, risking animal health and degrading soil quality.
The dilapidated road infrastructure hinders the free movement of people and the free flow of goods and services, exponentially increasing the cost of living in an already depressed economy.
Poor roads negatively impact the response times of emergency and policing services, further contributing to the general violation of the human rights of residents at the hands of the ANC-led government.
Sadly, this is not the first HRC report into failed North West local government. While the HRC report makes for depressing reading, not all is lost.
North West residents can use the power of their vote in next year’s election and vote for municipal governments that will rebuild and repair infrastructure, deliver water and sanitation services to all communities, ensure consistent refuse collection and spend every cent of public money towards improving the lives of every resident.
