Note to Editors: Please find attached English and Afrikaans soundbites by Cllr Jacques van Rensburg and Sesotho soundbite by David Masoeu MPL.
– Xhariep is failing to meet its service delivery obligations.
– Water, electricity, roads, and other key infrastructure are deteriorating.
– The DA will push for urgent action to restore services and improve governance.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) expresses grave concern over the continued failure of the Xhariep District Municipality to fulfil its constitutional obligations and implement the Back to Basics strategy adopted in 2014.
This strategy, designed to restore functionality and service delivery across municipalities, mandates developing fundable, consolidated infrastructure plans and executing essential maintenance to reduce service losses.
Despite clear guidelines, the Xhariep District Municipality has failed to assist the local municipalities of Kopanong Mohokare and Letsemeng on the following critical infrastructure priorities:
- Water and sanitation systems remain neglected, leading to avoidable losses and health risks.
- Human settlements lack sustainable planning and basic services.
- Electricity infrastructure is unreliable and poorly maintained.
- Waste management is ineffective, posing environmental and public health threats.
- Roads are deteriorating, with minimal repair efforts.
- Public transport remains inaccessible and underdeveloped.
This pattern of dysfunction reveals a disturbing truth: the Xhariep District Municipality exists merely to sustain its own administrative shell, rather than to serve the people it was established to support. It has become a self-preserving institution, disconnected from the lived realities of its residents.
The DA calls for urgent intervention by provincial and national authorities to ensure that Xhariep is capacitated and that its leadership is compelled to deliver on its constitutional mandate.
We will continue to advocate for transparent governance, responsible infrastructure planning, and the restoration of dignity to the communities of Xhariep.