Note to Broadcasters: Please find attached soundbite in English by Cobus Nortjé
The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Rustenburg condemns the shocking collapse of basic service delivery at the Rustenburg Local Municipality (RLM), where only one operational cherry picker is reportedly available to service the entire municipal area.
This failure recently left a resident enduring dangerously low voltage for 16 consecutive days because the municipality was unable to respond timeously to the fault.
Low voltage is not a minor inconvenience. It damages household appliances, disrupts daily life, affects businesses, and places additional financial strain on residents who are already paying for services they are not adequately receiving.
The fact that a municipality the size of Rustenburg is operating with only one functional cherry picker points to serious failures in planning, fleet management, maintenance, and accountability. A municipality cannot effectively maintain critical electrical infrastructure if it does not have the basic operational equipment required to respond to faults and emergencies.
Residents are increasingly being forced to live with delayed repairs, deteriorating infrastructure, and a municipality that appears unable to keep up with even the most basic service delivery demands.
The DA therefore calls on the Rustenburg Local Municipality to urgently:
- Provide a full report on the status of its fleet and operational equipment;
- Explain the delay in resolving electrical faults affecting residents; and
- Present a clear recovery and maintenance plan to prevent similar incidents from recurring.
The DA believes that functioning municipalities require proper asset management, preventative maintenance, operational backup capacity, and officials who are held accountable when service delivery fails.
Under capable governance, residents should not have to wait more than two weeks for the municipality to respond to a critical electricity fault simply because of equipment shortages.
Rustenburg residents deserve a municipality that plans ahead, maintains its infrastructure, and responds efficiently to the needs of communities.
The DA will continue to fight for accountable governance and reliable service delivery in Rustenburg.