DA reports Emfuleni municipality to SAHRC over severe service delivery failures

The Democratic Alliance (DA) has taken a decisive step in the fight against government negligence by reporting the Emfuleni Local Municipality to the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC).
The party has formally requested the SAHRC to investigate the Municipality, citing persistent and severe service delivery failures. According to the DA, these ongoing issues have condemned residents to inhumane living conditions, stripping them of their constitutional rights to access water, proper sanitation, and a safe environment.
The Star has been running a series of stories recently, highlighting the plight of Emfuleni residents.
DA MPL Kingsol Chabalala expressed deep concern over the deteriorating living conditions in Emfuleni, citing ongoing sewer overflows that have polluted homes, roads, and even the Vaal River. He warned that the situation has created a public health and environmental crisis.
"Residents have been subjected to raw sewage in their living spaces for years, and now they're also battling water shortages caused by crumbling infrastructure and unattended leaks," said Chabalala.
Chabalala further highlighted that financial mismanagement has deepened Emfuleni's service delivery crisis.
Despite the urgent need to repair failing sewer, water, and road infrastructure, the municipality returned R636 million from its Municipal Infrastructure Grant.
In addition, it incurred a wasteful expenditure of R562 million on employee overtime, with no visible improvements in basic services.
The Star revealed that between 2019 and 2024, Emfuleni Municipality poured a staggering R202.6 million into 71 contractors to fix its failing sewer infrastructure. Yet, despite this massive spending, the sewage crisis remains relentless, with virtually no accountability for the continued collapse, leaving communities exposed and suffering.
In 2024, The Star also revealed a dire crisis as a sewer pipeline collapse poisoned water supplies, forcing desperate residents to boil their water for survival. This blatant neglect by the municipality has recklessly endangered public health, hitting hardest in already vulnerable communities like Sebokeng and Palm Springs.
In his letter to the SAHRC, Chabalala underscores the severe water crisis residents endure, marked by frequent outages and dwindling pressure caused by unresolved leaks and failing infrastructure. Despite spending R65.25 million on water tankers in 2023 alone, countless communities remain without reliable water for weeks, compelling them to buy water or travel long distances just to meet their basic needs.
Makhosonke Sangweni, Emfuleni Municipality Communications Manager, told The Star that while the municipality is unaware of the latest Human Rights Commission application, it is addressing a previous complaint.
He said, 'Remedial action is being implemented in terms of Section 63 of the Water Act by a coordinated effort involving all spheres of government, led by the National Government.'
He explained that the turnaround intervention programme, funded by the national government, has appointed Rand Water as the implementing agency to improve water and sanitation services, with a special focus on addressing sewer spillages and overall sanitation issues within the Emfuleni Local Municipality.
Sangweni explained that Emfuleni's under-expenditure was a result of a directive from the Department of Cooperative Governance's MIG office during the 2019/2020 financial year, which ordered the municipality to prioritise sanitation-related projects. 'The decision came after the Human Rights Commission hearing into sewer pollution in the Vaal River,' he said.
He added that at the time, Emfuleni had already allocated over R100 million to fully designed capital projects that were ready for construction. 'However, those projects were removed from the implementation plan by DCoG,' Sangweni stated.
Sangweni reported that in the 2024/2025 financial year, the municipality received an allocation of R160 million, with 61% of that amount spent by the end of December 2024. He said this improved rate of expenditure is a positive sign, indicating potential progress in enhancing service delivery for local residents.
During a recent ANC Gauteng Provincial Task Team Lekgotla held over two days at the Indaba Hotel in Johannesburg, Premier Panyaza Lesufi addressed the state of filth and decay affecting municipalities across the province, expressing deep concern over the deteriorating conditions.
'Comrades, our province and our municipalities are dirty, dirty, dirty. I attended the May rally in Sharpeville, Executive Mayor Sedibeng auwaaaaaaaaa banna (Nooooooooooo Man),' Lesufi said, in disgust.
He issued a stern rebuke to ANC officials leading the Sedibeng District Municipality and Emfuleni Local Municipality, holding them accountable for the persistent service delivery failures and unacceptable living conditions in those areas.
'If we cannot get the basics right, we have no legitimate right to claim that our people should still have confidence in us. If we can not get the basics right, we are no longer representing our people; we are misleading them. If we can not get the basics right, then we are betraying the service delivery; (This) is deplorable,' Lesufi added.
The DA has committed to closely monitoring the progress of the SAHRC investigation, expressing hope that it will lead to real, tangible change for the people of Emfuleni.
The party maintains that residents cannot continue to endure the inhumane conditions they currently face and deserve urgent intervention and relief.
The Star
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