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Media Advisory: The SAHRC to conduct a provincial inquiry into the state of service delivery in the Northern Cape Province

Monday, 06 October 2025
Attention: Editors and Reporters

The South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC / the Commission) in the Northern Cape Province will be conducting a Provincial Inquiry into the State of Service Delivery within Local Municipalities across the Northern Cape, as part of its constitutional mandate to promote, protect, monitor and assess the observance of human rights in South Africa.

Over the years, the Commission has received an increasing number of service delivery complaints from communities across the province, covering critical issues such as: 

  • Failure to provide potable water and sanitation services
  • Ongoing sewer spillages and treatment challenges
  • Inadequate housing delivery
  • Refuse collection failures
  • Poor road infrastructure and potholes

These failures undermine residents’ constitutional rights to dignity, health, housing, water, and an environment that is not harmful to their health and well-being.

Reports by oversight and regulatory bodies, including the Auditor-General’s 2023/24 audit outcomes and the Department of Water and Sanitation’s 2023 Blue Drop Report, confirm widespread municipal decline. No municipality in the Northern Cape achieved Blue Drop Status, and irregular expenditure and regression in performance have been widely reported.

The inquiry seeks to: 

  • Assess the systemic state of service delivery across municipalities in the province.
  • Investigate the root causes of the deterioration in service delivery.
  • Evaluate the role of municipalities, provincial and national government interventions under Section 139 of the Constitution, and the effectiveness thereof.
  • Explore measures to improve service delivery outcomes and the role of oversight institutions.
  • Make findings, and recommendations to secure accountability and redress for affected communities.

 Proceedings are scheduled to take place as follows:

  • Date : Tuesday, 07 to Thursday, 09 September 2025  
  • Time : 09:00 am
  • Venue : Protea Hotel Kimberley (Big Hole - West Circular Road), Kimberley

 All proceedings will be streamed live on the Commission’s YouTube channel, with sign language interpretation provided to ensure accessibility.

The inquiry will culminate in a comprehensive report containing findings, and recommendations aimed at strengthening accountability and improving service delivery in municipalities. The Commission will closely monitor compliance with its outcomes to ensure tangible change in communities.

The Commission invites members of the media to attend the inquiry, engage with stakeholders, and report on the proceedings.

Ends

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The Human Rights Commission is the national institution established to support constitutional democracy. It is committed to promote respect for, observance of and protection of human rights for everyone without fear or favour.

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