Note to Editors: Please find attached English soundbite by Cllr Luttiga Presente, Afrikaans soundbite by Cllr Jessica Nel and Sesotho soundbite by Cllr Florence Bernado. See attached pictures here, here, and here.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Matjhabeng has written to the Acting Municipal Manager, Mr Panyani, requesting a full and transparent investigation into the abandoned sanitation project in Ward 16, T11 Section, near Thabong Sports Centre, and to ensure its urgent completion.
It has now been more than five years since a contractor was appointed to eradicate pit toilets and replace them with flushing sanitation facilities in Ward 16, T11 Section near Thabong Sports Centre.
To date, this project remains incomplete and abandoned.
Approximately 1,500 households continue to live without access to proper flushing toilets.
This is not only an unacceptable failure of service delivery but also a direct violation of the dignity, health, and basic human rights of residents.
Communities are still forced to rely on unsafe and unhygienic pit toilets, exposing them to serious health risks and indignity daily.
The prolonged delay and apparent abandonment of this project raise serious questions about oversight, financial management and accountability within the Matjhabeng Local Municipality.
Residents deserve answers:
- Who was the appointed contractor?
- What was the total contract value?
- How much of the allocated budget has already been spent?
- Why has no action been taken against the contractor for non-performance?
The investigation must include the immediate disclosure to the DA of all contractual details, the project’s current status, and the contractor’s whereabouts.
Crucially, this matter cannot end with another investigation report that gathers dust. There must be real consequence management.
Any contractor who has failed to deliver must be held accountable, blacklisted where necessary and compelled to repay funds if public money has been misused.
Likewise, any municipal officials who failed in their oversight responsibilities must face disciplinary action.
This culture of impunity in Matjhabeng, where projects are abandoned without consequence, and residents are left to suffer, must end.
Public funds are not a blank cheque for contractors’ incompetence and neglect.
The DA will continue to fight for the residents of Ward 16 to ensure that this project is completed, that dignified sanitation is delivered and that those responsible for this failure are held accountable.
Residents of Thabong deserve better. They deserve a municipality that works for them, not against them.