Note to Broadcasters: Please find attached soundbites in English, Afrikaans, and Setswana by Portia Burrell
The Democratic Alliance (DA) will submit a formal request to the Corporate Services Portfolio Committee to scrutinise the qualifications of all current municipal personnel employed in the City of Matlosana.
This follows a complete collapse in service delivery in Stilfontein, where residents are being failed daily by power outages, water leaks, and crumbling sewer infrastructure.
On the 1st of June 2025, a scheduled power outage was announced from 08:00 to 18:00 in Stilfontein. Despite this notice, many households remain still without power. Other residents experience intermittent power surges overnight, causing distress and potential damage to appliances.
This is not an isolated event. Three weeks ago, parts of Stilfontein were left without electricity for nine consecutive days. What is even more alarming is that during that outage, a councillor tried to explain the technical fault at the substation.
This raises questions about where the qualified electricians and technicians are, why a councillor who is elected to represent the people is not maintaining the infrastructure, and who should take responsibility when something goes wrong.
This is symptomatic of a larger issue: cadre deployment over competence. Ratepayers are left to endure long service interruptions while municipal employees either lack the skills or accountability to do their jobs effectively.
The water and sewer divisions are no different. Water meters and pipes leak persistently, with temporary repairs, often leaving open holes. Within 24 hours, the same problems recur. There is no evidence of quality control, follow-up, or accountability. The same applies to sewer systems, where basic maintenance is either poorly executed or completely ignored.
We cannot continue to operate in a city where maintenance is reactive instead of proactive, where political appointments override technical competence, and where residents are treated as an inconvenience rather than a priority.
The residents of Matlosana deserve better. We demand professionalism, transparency, and service delivery from every department.