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The civil rights organisation AfriForum warns that Gauteng’s impending water crisis can be attributed to the serious extent of municipal decay and that Premier Panyaza Lesufi’s failure to act decisively is putting water supply in the province on a certain road to disaster. AfriForum argues that Lesufi’s failure to fix the province’s poorly performing municipalities through Article 139 interventions should serve as proof of the premier’s inability to carry out his duties. Therefore, the civil rights organisation believes the national government must now intervene and remove Lesufi from office to prevent a catastrophe in the country’s economic hub. 

AfriForum emphasises that the Auditor General’s (AG) latest report on local governments paints an alarmingly grim picture of decay in Gauteng municipalities. The report revealed widespread financial mismanagement, governance failures, deterioration of infrastructure and non-compliance with essential legislative requirements. Nearly 80% of municipalities and municipal entities in the province received unqualified audit opinions.

According to Morné Mostert, AfriForum’s Manager of Local Government Affairs, the Constitution provides for the intervention by the provincial government in cases where municipalities fail to fulfil their duties. Despite the Section 139 interventions that have been dragging on since June 2018, February 2019 and September 2022, respectively, in the Emfuleni Local Municipality, the West Rand District Municipality and the Merafong Local Municipality, Lesufi has not yet been able to bring about any significant change in these struggling municipalities. 

“Lesufi’s inability to resolve problems in the province cannot be continued at the expense of the province’s residents – especially not while water supply in the province threatens to bring the country’s most important economic hub to its knees. That is why the national government’s intervention, which the Constitution provides for, is essential. Lesufi’s removal from this critical position is now the only way out,” warns Mostert.  

The intervention in the Emfuleni Local Municipality, which was started in 2018, is largely ineffective. Residents here continuously experience problems with water supply, potholes and unreliable waste removal. Furthermore, this municipality owes Eskom more than R8 billion in debt and also carries the weight of incompetence and corruption. 

In the case of the Merafong Local Municipality, this municipality has already been under administration for more than five years as part of the Section 139 intervention process. Meanwhile, decay in this municipality continues unabated. The AG report singled out this municipality for its poor performance and emphasised that leadership must act urgently to tackle noncompliance, hold officials accountable and prioritise service delivery. 

Mostert emphasises that Lesufi’s failure to implement effective oversight mechanisms and his reluctance to demand accountability from municipalities have created a critical leadership vacuum at municipal level. 

Challenges regarding municipal infrastructure, poorly planned and delayed projects result in large-scale service delivery problems. In addition, there are at least 45 infrastructure projects in the province whose completion is delayed, while municipalities have spent less than 8% of the value of their infrastructure assets, far below the guideline established by the Treasury, on necessary repair and maintenance. 

“Lesufi’s administration is in danger of forcing Gauteng over the brink of collapse where basic services such as clean water, sanitation and waste management are no longer guaranteed. Without a clear strategy to tackle the systemic issues plaguing these municipalities, Gauteng is headed for an inevitable disaster,” concludes Mostert.

Issued by AfriForum