By Johnathan Paoli
The DA in the Free State has slammed the ANC-run municipalities for their continued failure to meet basic service delivery standards.
DA spokesperson on Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs David McKay said a new report by the SA Human Rights Commission has uncovered severe inefficiencies and human rights violations in Free State municipalities, with R4.2 billion wasted on fruitless and wasteful expenditure in the last financial year.
“This affects not only homes but also schools, health facilities, and police cells. Despite 30 years of democracy, several municipalities continue to use a dehumanising system of bucket toilets, violating rights to adequate sanitation and safe water,” he said.
McKay said the SAHRC and the Auditor-General’s reports reveal a pattern of poor financial oversight, underspending on essential grants, and a complete lack of clean audits over the last six years.
He said the SAHRC report also highlighted that the Free State Department of CoGTA has done little to intervene or address the growing crisis and that the department itself has classified 10 of the 23 municipalities in the province as dysfunctional, a situation that has shown minimal improvement over the past three years.
McKay maintained that despite clear evidence of the failures in service delivery, CoGTA has denied any human rights violations, contradicting the findings of the SAHRC.
He said his party is calling for urgent action, demanding that CoGTA submit a detailed report within three months on how it will address these issues and support municipalities in the Free State.
The report must outline steps to ensure municipalities appoint permanent Municipal Managers and other key positions, such as technical directors.
Additionally, CoGTA must outline its strategy for monitoring municipal operations until they are deemed functional.
With the SAHRC firmly backing the need for infrastructure improvements across the province, McKay emphasised that the failure to address these issues would undermine the authority of the Commission and could lead to legal action.
He said the DA will continue to hold both the provincial government and local municipalities accountable, ensuring that the recommendations of the SAHRC are implemented and that residents in the Free State receive the essential services they deserve.
INSIDE POLITICS
