Please find attached soundbite in English by Imaan Sayed Suliman.
- The ongoing municipal strike has severely disrupted essential services across Ramotshere Moiloa.
- Businesses in Zeerust have been forced to rely on generators since Friday afternoon amid prolonged electricity outages.
- The DA demands an immediate contingency plan and clear communication to ensure residents continue receiving essential municipal services.
The Democratic Alliance is calling for urgent intervention in Ramotshere Moiloa Local Municipality after the ongoing staff strike severely disrupted municipal services from Friday.
The impact is already being felt by residents and businesses. In Zeerust, businesses in Wards 15 and 16 have reportedly been without electricity since approximately 15:00 on Friday, 4 September, forcing businesses to rely on generators to remain operational.
The timing is particularly concerning as Friday was also a SASSA payment day, when residents depend on functioning municipal infrastructure and services.
While workers have rights under labour law, those rights do not remove the municipality’s responsibility to its residents. Section 73 of the Municipal Systems Act 32 of 2000 requires municipalities to prioritise the basic needs of local communities and ensure that residents have access to at least the minimum level of basic municipal services.
The municipality must therefore account for how it is fulfilling this responsibility during the current strike.
The DA is calling on municipal management to immediately clarify:
- What contingency measures have been activated to maintain essential services;
- Which critical services remain operational and who is responsible for them;
- What arrangements are in place to respond to electricity, water and sanitation failures;
- How vulnerable residents are being assisted; and
- What clear timeframes are being given to residents and businesses affected by service disruptions.
Severe weather may have contributed to some of the electricity outages, but it makes proper contingency planning even more important. Residents should not be left without support simply because the municipality is facing a labour dispute.
Our Working for All Manifesto 2026 calls for professional, capable and accountable local government that gets the basics right. That means municipalities must be prepared for disruptions, maintain essential services and respond effectively when communities are under pressure.
The people of Ramotshere Moiloa deserve a municipality that works for all and not one that stops functioning when the municipality faces a crisis.
The DA will continue monitoring the situation and will hold municipal management accountable for ensuring that residents receive the essential services to which they are entitled.