Note to Editors: Please find attached English and Afrikaans soundbites by Cllr Tjaart van der Walt and Sesotho soundbite by Cllr Kabelo Moreeng.
Despite years of provincial and national intervention in Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality, residents continue to face collapsing basic services. Sewage spills, unreliable water supply, running refuse backlogs, and failing infrastructure are not isolated incidents. They are symptoms of systemic governance failure and infrastructure neglect.
The intervention was meant to stabilise finances, restore governance and rebuild service delivery capacity. Yet wastewater treatment failures persist, maintenance backlogs grow, and critical infrastructure continues to deteriorate, as the ANC approves a budget each year with less than 2% for repairs and maintenance, instead of the required 8%.
Untreated sewage threatens public health and contaminates waterways. Water losses and pipeline failures undermine supply reliability. Refuse removal failures and illegal dumping degrade neighbourhoods and block stormwater systems, increasing environmental and flooding risks.
National assessments by the Department of Water and Sanitation and repeated Auditor-General findings confirm that wastewater dysfunction, ageing infrastructure and technical capacity shortages are among the greatest risks facing municipalities across South Africa. Mangaung is now a clear example of this national crisis.
The State of the Nation Address recognised water and infrastructure collapse as urgent national priorities. But reform commitments will mean little unless they are urgently translated into action at the municipal level.
National Treasury reforms championed with urgency by DA Deputy Minister Ashor Sarupen aim to ring-fence municipal utility revenues and ensure that infrastructure grants are spent on maintaining water, sanitation, and electricity systems rather than diverted to unrelated expenditure.
Mangaung’s recovery requires immediate action. Water and sanitation revenue must be protected for infrastructure maintenance. Wastewater treatment works and pipeline networks must be refurbished. Refuse collection must be restored, and illegal dumping must be enforced against. Critical technical vacancies must be filled with qualified professionals. Consequence management for non-performance must become standard practice.
The Democratic Alliance has intensified oversight inspections, demanded accountability, advocated infrastructure ring-fencing and engaged affected communities. Oversight alone, however, cannot substitute for competent governance.
Reliable water, sanitation and waste removal are not luxuries. They are the foundation of public health, economic stability and human dignity.
Years of intervention have not restored services. Administrative processes and promises have not fixed the pipes.
Mangaung can work if voters register and vote DA: Only competent governance and will for sustained infrastructure investment.
The ballot box is where real change begins: If residents want reliable water, they must vote for reliable governance. If they want functioning sanitation and a city that works, they must choose leadership committed to accountability and delivery.
Vote for water. Vote for dignity. Vote for a functioning Mangaung under DA leadership.