The North West’s permanent delegates to the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) have raised serious concerns about the pace, quality and reliability of service delivery improvements in the province since the previous oversight visit.
Although provincial departments and municipalities have reported various interventions, the delegation remains concerned that progress has not been sufficiently consistent, visible or impactful to meaningfully improve the lived realities of affected communities.
The delegation, which is conducting a week-long report-back oversight visit to the province as part of the NCOP’s Provincial Week programme, met with the Office of the Premier, the South African Local Government Association (SALGA) and various provincial government departments in Mahikeng yesterday.
The delegation’s concerns are particularly acute in communities that continue to experience failures in the provision of basic services, including reliable water, sanitation, safe roads and other essential services, as well as challenges relating to access to medication. These are not merely administrative inconveniences. They directly affect the dignity, health, education, economic activity and safety of households and communities.
The delegation therefore emphasises that remedial commitments must be supported by credible implementation plans, clear timeframes, designated responsible officials, funding certainty and regular, transparent public reporting.
The delegation noted with concern that some communities have reportedly been without a dependable water supply since 2015. Access to sufficient water is recognised within South Africa’s constitutional framework as a fundamental right, and organs of state are required to take reasonable measures, within available resources, to progressively realise that right. A prolonged failure to provide communities with dependable access to water cannot be normalised or allowed to continue without urgent escalation and accountability.
The NCOP delegation further noted that several of the challenges identified during the oversight visit appear to be systemic and intergovernmental in nature. In particular, water services, wastewater infrastructure, municipal capacity, procurement delays, infrastructure maintenance and the credibility of recovery plans require coordinated intervention across the municipal, provincial and national spheres of government.
Where local responses remain inadequate, the delegation will ensure that these matters are referred to the Select Committee on Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs for further consideration and follow-up.
The delegation further emphasises that oversight cannot end with presentations, promises or revised project timelines. Communities are entitled to practical improvements that they can see and rely upon. Officials and implementing agents must therefore provide measurable commitments, including specific dates for restoring water supplies, repairing or completing infrastructure, securing sites that pose public-safety risks, resolving funding gaps and reporting honestly on obstacles that require intervention from another sphere of government.
For the NCOP delegation, the central question is whether government is responding with the seriousness required by the conditions observed in affected communities. Where people have waited years for basic services such as water, further delays erode public trust and deepen hardship.
The delegation will therefore continue to use its oversight role to press for timely action, transparent reporting and effective cooperation between all responsible authorities.
The delegation calls on the relevant municipalities, provincial departments and national departments to treat these matters with the urgency they deserve. The people of the North West are entitled to services that are reliable, lawful and responsive to their needs. The delegation will closely monitor progress and support the escalation of unresolved matters to the appropriate parliamentary structures to ensure that long-standing service delivery failures are addressed with the urgency, coordination and accountability they demand.
Site Visits:
During its site visits on Tuesday, the delegation noted that the provincial Department of Human Settlements has appointed a contractor to complete the Tshunyane Human Settlements project, which has been stalled for more than 10 years.
The delegation welcomed the appointment of the contractor and the commitment that the project will be completed by the end of November. While there is evidence of progress, including the commencement of construction and a slab already in place, the delegation urged the department to implement effective monitoring to ensure that the project is completed within the stated timeframe and that beneficiaries are finally able to occupy their long-awaited homes.
“While there is progress and the contractor has started with a slab in place, we urge the department to ensure that effective monitoring is implemented to ensure that the people occupy their long-awaited houses,” said Ms Sylvia Sithole, the Provincial Whip and delegation leader.
The delegation also visited Mahikeng Airport and expressed concern that efforts to make the airport fully functional remain a work in progress, with little tangible progress visible on the ground.
The delegation called for urgent action to ensure that the airport becomes operational and contributes to unlocking the socio-economic potential of the province. It remains a serious concern that the North West continues to experience extremely high levels of unemployment despite the province’s substantial mineral, cultural and environmental assets, which have the potential to contribute significantly to economic growth and job creation.
The delegation also visited the Rooigrond Wastewater Treatment Works in Mahikeng and expressed concern that the project remains stalled, while costing and project milestones are still outstanding.
The delegation believes that the finalisation of project costs and milestones should not take such an extended period. Continued delays risk further degradation of the existing facility and could ultimately result in significantly higher costs to government.
The delegation has therefore requested an urgent implementation plan setting out clear costs, milestones, responsibilities and timeframes for the completion of the project. The delegation will also forward the matter to the Select Committee on Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs to ensure that progress is subjected to continued parliamentary monitoring.
The NCOP delegation remains committed to ensuring that oversight translates into tangible improvements in the lives of communities. Long-standing service delivery failures require more than assurances; they require decisive action, measurable progress and accountability.
The delegation will today visit sites in the Bojanala Local Municipality.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Republic of South Africa: The Parliament.
