The party’s spokesperson on Cooperative Governance, Human Settlements and Traditional Affairs, Freddy Sonakile, today told members of the Provincial Legislature that after 25 years of democracy, this department has failed to deliver the most basic services. He said it is appalling that despite more than half of municipalities being under administration, residents are still battling to receive adequate basic services and the government is not doing much to change the status quo. Sonakile said receiving a qualified audit opinion for three consecutive years should set off all alarm bells and get the executive council members to act on challenges faced, but it is disappointing that a lack of services and a lack of proper internal control measures have seemingly become the norm in the province.

“The poorly planned RDP project in Toevlug, Ventersdorp, is but one example of this department’s inability to provide quality housing to beneficiaries who are in desperate need. The residents of Toevlug have been waiting for almost ten years to receive RDP housing units, but they are left with 360 incomplete houses built too close to the electricity supply cables and sewerage lines. Raw sewage flows down the streets, posing a serious health hazard. Some residents have sewage dams on their property, making it difficult to access their only water tap and toilet on the premises,” he said.

Sonakile further stated that the people of Toevlug, Matshelapad and Karlien Park have been waiting for at least ten years for decent housing, while the residents of Leekwa Teemane and Boitumelong have been left with defective houses.

“Due to this department’s lack of oversight, effective monitoring and project management, it goes without saying that the North West Housing Corporation under its curatorship is not making strides either. State-owned entities on the brink of bankruptcy are no longer anything new and pointing out the lack of political will to change this culture, has become a broken record,” he added.

His statements before members of the Provincial Legislature comes just a day prior to the release of the National and Provincial Governments’ audit results for the 2018/19 financial year by Auditor-General Kimi Makwetu.

Makwetu, in his 2017/18 Local Government Audit Outcomes Report highlighted that none of the municipalities in this province received a clean audit and that the R1.6 billion loss of investments made with the VBS Mutual Bank significantly weakened the financial position of municipalities in the North West, leading to many failing to provide services to communities.

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