The Democratic Alliance (DA) will intensify pressure on Ga-Segonyana municipality to comply with our notice of demands aimed at addressing the collapse of service delivery in the Kuruman area.
Following the DA’s submission of the notice, a community meeting was subsequently held in Kuruman where approximately 80 residents gathered to voice their frustrations.
Notably, Mayor George Neo Masagela failed to attend the meeting and did not issue any apology to residents. His absence has deepened public anger and reinforced perceptions of political indifference at a time when decisive leadership is urgently required.
The Director of Infrastructure, Mr Bonolo Kgosieng, did attend and presented feedback on the dire state of infrastructure, outlining an action plan to address some of the challenges.
Residents were given the opportunity to speak openly. While emotions ran high, the engagement reflected the depth of frustration felt across Kuruman and Wrenchville. Serious concerns were raised about the lack of discipline within the municipality, ongoing service failures, and the absence of consequence management. Assurances were given that steps would be taken against those responsible for poor performance.
The DA reinforced that the Mayor was formally requested to submit a written action plan with clear timelines. We are still awaiting this plan and will continue to push for its urgent submission.
The water and sanitation crisis remains a central concern in Ga-Segonyana. Residents are sceptical about calls to conserve water while millions of litres are lost through unattended leaks and failing infrastructure. It was made clear that the municipality must first address systemic losses and maintenance backlogs before shifting responsibility onto the community.
Additional points of contention include impassable roads in the industrial area, collapsing electrical infrastructure, broken meters not being replaced, parks deteriorating into unsafe spaces, widespread infrastructure decay, and the repeated closure of the local SAPS station by the Department of Labour due to water shortages. Administrative incompetence, resulting in excessive billing of residents, further compounds the crisis.
The DA has resubmitted our notice of demand to the Mayor and will continue standing alongside residents as we weigh up further action to compel the municipality to fulfil its administrative and operational mandates.
Accountability must be enforced, and basic services must be restored.