Attention: Editors and Reporters
22 September 2021
Over the years, the Commission has received and investigated service delivery complaints against various local municipalities in Mpumalanga. The issues raised in the various complaints included the failure by municipalities to provide water and housing, sewage spillages, sewage treatment challenges, electricity outages, non-collection of refuse and potholes on the roads.
Various reasons, including financial and human resources constraints and non-payment for services by residents, have been proffered for the deterioration of service delivery within local municipalities in Mpumalanga. Notwithstanding the identification of these challenges year on year, however, little has been done in many municipalities to address the challenges in any meaningful way.
As a consequence, the Commission continues to receive service delivery complaints against various municipalities. The complaints currently before the Commission traverse many of the themes and issues in the complaints, pointing to possible systemic service delivery challenges within local municipalities in the province in violation of several socioeconomic rights such enshrined in the Bill of Rights of our Constitution.
In order to investigate these challenges at a systemic level, the Commission will be embarking on an inquiry on the state of service delivery within local municipalities in Mpumalanga. The objectives of the inquiry are to, amongst others, assess the state of service delivery within local municipalities in Mpumalanga from a multi-stakeholder perspective and explore solutions to the identified challenges, with the view to ultimately making findings, recommendations and directives aimed at addressing the identified service delivery challenges.
The SAHRC Mpumalanga provincial office invites everyone to attend and or engage the Commission before, during and after the inquiry which is scheduled to take place from Monday 27 September 2021 to Friday 1 October 2021 at the Ehlanzeni Disaster Management Centre in Mbombela.
The Inquiry will also be livestreamed on the Commission’s website homepage (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) and social media platforms (YouTube (SAHRC1), Facebook (SAhumanrightscommission) and Twitter (@SAHRCommission).
A Media Briefing will also take place on Friday 1 October 2021 at the Ehlanzeni Disaster Management Centre in Mbombela from 12h30 until 13h30.
ENDS
For further information or enquiries, please contact: SAHRC Mpumalanga Provincial Manager, Mr. E Mokonyama (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.; 073 585 5944).