The South African Human Rights Commission’s (SAHRC) inquiry report regarding service delivery by Free State municipalities has revealed continued regression.
Released on Tuesday, 19 November, the report includes adverse findings about municipalities’ inability to manage, and offers recommendations that these municipalities can adopt to improve their basic service delivery operations.
The report is based on the findings provided by state and non-government bodies that participated in the inquiry the commission conducted from 25 to 28 March. Municipal administrators gave numerous explanations for the disastrous degradation and significant dilapidation of service delivery in the Free State.
The latest in the commission’s suggested improvements to municipal authorities are in addition to that of other entities such as the Auditor-General (AG), which has repeatedly stressed the importance of authorities improving their financial management ability. Despite this, the AG has continued making adverse findings against Free State municipalities.
The latest SAHRC report documents re-occurring challenges crippling the province’s 18 municipalities including the Mangaung Metro, the Free State’s Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS), and Free State Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta), resulting in the gross violationsof residents’ rights by municipalities not delivering basic services, and the inability of management in performing functions such as managing finances.
“From our observation, we have people who do not hold the interest of residents at heart, have an attitude of not caring, and are unethical and incompetent in strategic positions; a council that interferes in the running of affairs; and bad decision-making,” said,” Thonoko Modise, acting provincial manager of the SAHRC.
He blames this gross violation on a lack of accountability across municipalities. Modise added that the commission had requested that plans to deal with operations and the maintenance of infrastructure, along with challenges such as water shedding, be submitted within three months from the report’s release.
