Note to Editors: Please find attached English and Afrikaans soundbites by Cllr Jose Coetzee and Sesotho soundbite by David Masoeu MPL.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) will escalate oversight and formally engage with Setsoto Local Municipality to enforce building regulations, following serious concerns about systemic shortcomings in regulatory compliance, municipal oversight, and public safety protections across the municipality.
Recent responses from the municipality have revealed concerning challenges with its ability to effectively enforce the provisions of the National Building Regulations and Building Standards Act. Of particular concern is the acknowledgement that certain matters involving legislative non-compliance and potential public safety risks have remained unresolved for periods exceeding two years due to enforcement capacity limitations and the absence of formally appointed peace officers.
Municipalities carry a fundamental responsibility to protect communities from unsafe structures, hazardous building conditions, unlawful construction activities, and other forms of non-compliance that may place residents, businesses, and the public at risk. Administrative delays and capacity constraints cannot be used as justification for prolonged inaction when public safety concerns exist.
The municipality’s responses raise important questions about whether sufficient enforcement mechanisms, oversight procedures, and emergency intervention measures are in place to adequately protect the public and ensure compliance with applicable legislation. It is deeply concerning that enforcement actions in certain matters have allegedly been delayed while municipal officials await formal authorisation to exercise their full enforcement powers.
The DA is particularly concerned about accountability should injury, loss of life, or property damage result from unsafe, unresolved contraventions of building regulations. The municipality has acknowledged ongoing non-compliance in certain matters while indicating that enforcement action has been limited due to capacity and appointment constraints.
This raises the serious question of who will bear responsibility if members of the public are harmed because the municipality lacked the ability, resources, or authority to act decisively when the dangers were already known.
Further concern arises from reports that certain companies or property owners have allegedly been compelled to halt construction or comply immediately with municipal directives, while other contraventions remain unresolved for extended periods.
The municipality must clarify how enforcement decisions are applied and whether all residents, businesses, developers, and property owners are treated equally under the law. It cannot be argued that enforcement powers are insufficient or unavailable, given that enforcement action is allegedly exercised selectively in other matters.
The broader concern extends beyond a single issue and raises questions about whether similar unresolved contraventions and enforcement delays exist elsewhere within Setsoto Municipality.
Communities deserve a municipality that acts before preventable dangers escalate into serious incidents. Effective governance requires decisive action, accountability, fair and consistent enforcement, and the equal application of the law without delay.