Note to Editors: Please find attached English and Sesotho soundbites by Cllr Small Sehume and Afrikaans soundbite by Cllr Robert Ferendale.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Ngwathe will write to the MEC for Public Works to secure the urgent settlement of the Provincial Department of Public Works’ outstanding account with Ngwathe Local Municipality (NLM), following ongoing electricity disconnections that are depriving residents and learners of access to vital public services.
We are deeply concerned about the Department of Public Works’ failure to settle its outstanding account with Ngwathe Local Municipality (NLM), which is directly harming residents and learners in our communities.
The Schokenville Library spent nearly the entire month of March 2026 without electricity due to this very problem. While power has since been restored there, the crisis has shifted: on 19 April 2026, the Municipality cut off electricity to the Tumahole Library because the Department of Public Works failed to pay its municipal account.
Learners are once again paying the price, as they cannot access computers or print documents and are being denied the basic educational resources that a functioning public library should provide.
It is unacceptable that a government department, funded by taxpayers, is contributing to service delivery failures by failing to honour its financial obligations to the municipality. When a department owes the municipality, it is the community and, particularly, the most vulnerable, our learners, who suffer the consequences.
Government departments cannot be exempt from the same financial obligations as ordinary residents.
We will continue to monitor this situation closely and will hold both the municipality and the Department of Public Works accountable to the communities they are meant to serve.