{
  "id": 4818363,
  "title": "‘Nothing is working’- Can anything save these Northern Cape municipalities?",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/01/nothing-is-working-can-anything-save-these-northern-cape",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-01T07:52:38.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Citizen",
    "slug": "the-citizen",
    "url": "https://www.citizen.co.za/news/south-africa/elections/watch-northern-cape-anc-municipal-failures/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "As the November Local Government Elections approach, two Northern Cape municipalities are emblematic of the widespread challenges faced by South Africa's interior. Kimberley's Sol Plaatje municipality and Phokwane, a farming community near Kimberley, both grapple with service delivery issues and governance failures.\n\nPresident of the Northern Cape Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Dudley Dally, vividly describes the decay, stating, \"It's everything. It's electricity, water, sewer, roads, you name it. Sewage systems collapse. There is nothing operational at the moment. We've got rivers of sewage flowing all around Kimberley. The roads are underwater, the pipes are bursting.\"\n\nDally notes that no progress or accountability has been seen since the SAHRC report was released in April, with businesses and potential investors fleeing the area. Nocci has been \"sidelined\" by municipal and provincial leadership that ignores their once-prosperous business community, leading to proposals going unaddressed.\n\nThe Sol Plaatje municipality was placed under Section 139 administration in May, with opposition parties questioning the suitability of those appointed to oversee the process. The DA claims that several appointed officials have corruption allegations against them, stating the administration is driven by a determination to control the R2.5 billion Budget Facility for Infrastructure (BFI) project.\n\nFreedom Front Plus' Theo Joubert argues that administration is only effective if administrators have a clear vision. He notes that water and sewage systems are in dire state due to lack of infrastructure, not water scarcity. Water purification plants need refurbishment and expansion to meet demand.\n\nPhokwane, a municipality 100km north of Kimberley, faces similar issues. Mayor Willem Harmse admits financial statement compliance issues, staffing challenges, and water provision problems. However, he claims matters have improved since the municipality came out of administration in 2021, with a fully-staffed senior management and disciplinary policies in place. Harmse states that water provision and sewer leaks are still issues, but repairs to a pump station in Jan Kempdorp have addressed lingering sewerage stench.\n\nJoubert emphasizes that total debt has risen from R500 million earlier in the year to just under R800 million due to low revenue collection (58%). The municipality is installing prepaid and smart meters to address this issue. While Sol Plaatje's ANC received 50.41% of the vote in the 2021 local government elections, opposition parties are optimistic about a turnaround backed by the provincial administration.",
  "summary": "Multiple Northern Cape municipalities have been placed under Section 139 provincial administration in the last decade.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}