DA demands urgent action over unlawful electricity practices and resident exploitation

Note to Editors: Please find attached English and Afrikaans soundbites by Cllr Estelle Dansey and Sesotho soundbite by David Masoeu MPL.

The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Matjhabeng Local Municipality has escalated the ongoing service delivery collapse by submitting urgent complaints to the Speaker, Municipal Manager, and Provincial COGTA, while initiating further action against the Acting Municipal Manager to restore lawful electricity service delivery and protect residents from exploitation.

We condemn the ongoing collapse of basic service delivery under the ANC-led administration, a failure made even more alarming given that the municipality is currently under a Section 139 Financial Recovery Plan (FRP) intervention.

This past weekend, residents of Odendaalsrus were left without electricity from 09 April. Despite numerous reports, follow-ups, and urgent pleas from residents and businesses, no action was taken. Instead, the municipality cited that no overtime work would be authorised, effectively abandoning residents during a critical service outage.

Even more concerning are reports that on Friday, 10 April, the Acting Municipal Manager privately advised residents that they would need to pay out of pocket for a private contractor to have their electricity restored before Monday.

This is not only unethical, but it may also be unlawful.

Under the Municipal Systems Act and the Municipal Finance Management Act (MFMA), municipalities are obligated to provide services in a sustainable, equitable, and accountable manner, while ensuring that all procurement processes are lawful, transparent, and properly regulated.

Encouraging residents to appoint and pay unvetted contractors undermines lawful procurement processes, exposes residents to financial exploitation and safety risks, and raises serious concerns about irregular practices and the potential abuse of power.

Furthermore, under Section 152 of the Constitution of South Africa, municipalities are required to ensure the provision of services in an accountable, responsive, and sustainable manner.

Matjhabeng is already under a Section 139 intervention aimed at restoring governance, financial discipline, and service delivery. The fact that such incidents continue to occur demonstrates a complete failure of political leadership under the ANC, as well as administrative disregard for both residents and elected representatives.

Equally concerning is the continued ignoring of ward councillors by municipal officials, effectively silencing community voices and undermining democratic accountability.

I have escalated this matter to the Speaker and am awaiting urgent answers to the following:

1. How can residents be expected to pay for private contractors who are not vetted and whose qualifications are unknown?
2. Who are residents expected to pay, and through what lawful process?
3. Does this indicate further irregular or politically connected contracting practices?
4. Why are residents of Odendaalsrus continuously subjected to electricity and water disruptions?
5. How is it acceptable that an Acting Municipal Manager can suggest private contractors, yet cannot authorise municipal electricians to work overtime?

We demand a written response within 48 hours.

Simultaneously, we will continue to apply public pressure for transparency and accountability, and lodge a formal complaint against the Acting Municipal Manager for possible misconduct.

We urge affected residents to submit any related evidence or experiences to support our efforts.