The party has written to the human rights commission asking it to intervene in alleged human rights abuses.
The DA in Mpumalanga has called on co-operative governance MEC Mandla Msibi to dissolve the Govan Mbeki local municipality in Secunda.
Section 139 of the South African Constitution allows the provincial government to intervene after assessing and concluding that a municipality does not fulfil its obligations.
The DA said the water and electricity crisis in the area persists and this continues to violate the rights of the people of the embattled municipality.
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DA councillor James Masango said what used to be a beautiful municipality has gone to waste.
For years the municipality has been struggling with water and electricity problems – “which are now not only a crisis but also a health hazard and life threatening to the residents,” Masango said.
“In 2020, we wrote to the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) to urgently intervene in throttling water to the residents.
“With the second wave of Covid-19 pandemic picking up in this municipality and people losing their lives, it is unacceptable that residents can be without water for days especially when residents pay for services rendered by the municipality. The loyal and law abiding citizens of this municipality have to suffer the consequence of the ANC-led municipality’s failure to pay Rand Wate,” cried Masango.
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Masango said bad governance, nepotism and corruption have taken over the municipality and what used to be “clean and good towns have [now] collapsed”.
“Just last week alone DA councillors were inundated with over hundred complaints about water leaks, dry taps, faulty transformers that exploded and sewer leaks. For several years the municipality has failed to maintain and replace the ageing infrastructure,” he said.
He added his party will once again write to the human rights commission and ask it to prioritise the Govan Mbeki water and electricity crisis.
(edited by MLM)
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