The Democratic Alliance (DA), together with local residents, has issued a formal notice of demand to the Mayor of Ga-Segonyana, George Neo Masagela, compelling him to take immediate action to halt and reverse the systemic collapse of basic service delivery in Kuruman.
The situation has deteriorated to crisis levels, amounting to a grave violation of constitutional rights, public health standards, and a gross dereliction of the municipality’s statutory duties.
Raw sewage continues to flow through public streets due to the sustained failure to repair and upgrade sanitation infrastructure.
Residents endure prolonged water outages, sometimes lasting up to five days, while major leaks are left unattended for as long as 18 months, resulting in severe water losses and significant revenue depletion.
Public roads are in a state of advanced decay. Water-filled potholes conceal their depth, while collapsing culverts pose a serious danger to motorists.
Electrical poles are collapsing across the town, leaving live wires draped over trees and into residents’ yards, placing especially children’s lives at immediate risk.
The municipality remains incapable of providing prepaid water and electricity meters, while residents are burdened with persistently inflated and incorrect bills.
Uncontrolled overgrowth of weeds and vegetation obstructs road markings, signage, and visibility. Broken traffic lights further contribute to unsafe conditions and enable criminal activity.
Despite repeated complaints and formal reports by the DA, the municipality has demonstrated sustained inaction, a lack of accountability, and a complete failure to communicate timeously with residents. Council meetings have also descended into disorder and intimidation, with no consequences imposed. This pattern reflects administrative negligence, political indifference and institutional collapse.
In response, the DA submitted the following urgent demands to the Mayor during last week’s council meeting:
1. Immediate cessation of all sewage spills and emergency repairs to sanitation systems;
2. Restoration of a continuous, reliable supply of potable water;
3. Rehabilitation of roads, hazardous potholes, and collapsing culverts;
4. Clearing of overgrown vegetation, repair of traffic lights, restoration of road markings, and replacement of damaged signage;
5. Implementation of consequence management against employees involved in the unauthorised disruption of Council meetings;
6. Rectification of all incorrect billing and the rollout of functional prepaid water and electricity meters.
The Mayor has until 12 February to submit a written action plan with timelines, which must be presented to residents at a community meeting to be convened in Kuruman.
The DA will continue to pursue every available legal, political, and community based avenue to protect residents’ rights and compel the municipality to fulfil its constitutional and statutory obligations. Should the Mayor fail to meet the deadline with a credible and actionable plan, the DA will take further steps in our fight to ensure accountability and the restoration of basic services in Kuruman.