The Democratic Alliance (DA) will insist that the Tsantsabane municipality urgently engages Council in relation to ongoing human rights violations experienced in and around Postmasburg.
This follows instructions by the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) today, at the second leg of the provincial inquiry into the state of Northern Cape municipalities, to submit critical documentation and to make a concerted effort to urgently address a myriad of service delivery shortfalls and resultant human rights violations.
Since 2023, the DA has submitted a number of sewerage related complaints and updates to the SAHRC, regarding longstanding and overbearing sewage spills in Postmasburg that have ruined the quality of life of local residents, destroyed livelihoods, and violated residents’ rights to a clean, safe and healthy environment.
Countless cries to the municipality to address these and other problems, fell on deaf ears until now.
The DA welcomes that the SAHRC has shone the spotlight on dire service delivery collapse in this once thriving mining town.
The municipality is accused of high remuneration costs for councillors and staff, while the vacancy rate is high, revenue has dwindled, debt is ballooning with R98 million owed to Vaal Central Water Board, and service delivery is at a standstill. Municipal management and political leadership needs to stop covering for those who are not performing and be transparent about its failures and internal wrongdoing so that this can be dealt with through the process of accountability.
The DA will closely monitor municipal management’s response to the long overdue SAHRC inquiry.
With the Tsantsabane area already facing a jobs bloodbath due to mining related retrenchments, it cannot afford to lose out on any other local economic develop opportunities due to its persistent failure to stop sewerage spills, restore a sustainable supply of water to all areas, repair road infrastructure and ensure reliable electricity supply.
We will also encourage Tsantsabane to take the SAHRC up on its offer to provide support in helping it get back on track. It is time to pull out all the stops to prevent Postmasburg from going under.