service deliverylatest news & developments

Ward 90 councillor candidate Paul Nkhumane puts service delivery at the centre of his campaign

Ward 90 councillor candidate Paul Nkhumane has pledged to put service delivery, infrastructure, and youth participation at the forefront of his agenda for Ekurhuleni residents.

Bakerton CPF member Sadah Pachigadas.

The Bakerton Ballot: Political paralysis meets community policing in Ekurhuleni’s Ward 72

As rival political parties trade blame over service delivery failures in Ekurhuleni's Ward 72, the Bakerton Community Police Forum is stepping up to hold whoever wins accountable.

Voters queue at a voting station in Maseru

Ballot shortages and technical glitches disrupt voting as frustrated residents are turned away

Voting was disrupted across several stations due to technical glitches, missing ballots, and voters roll errors, leading to long delays and rising tensions.

Alexandra residents question political promises as parties campaign across township

Despite a heavy presence of political parties campaigning in Alexandra, residents express growing disillusionment over persistent service delivery failures and empty election…

What is the point of voting?: Ivory Park Extension 2 youth lose faith in the ballot

Disillusioned by persistent water shortages and persistent unemployment, young residents in Ivory Park Extension 2 say voting no longer feels meaningful.

Over the past four elections the smaller political parties have been losing votes hand over fist — except for the Freedom Front Plus (FF+). (David Harrison/M&G)

No water, no order: Sophiatown voter wants Freedom Front Plus to rescue SA

Frustrated by daily water cuts, uncollected rubbish, and urban decay, Sophiatown voter Joanna Moleko has cast her ballot for Pieter Groenewald and the Freedom Front Plus in…

President Cyril Ramaphosa voting, November 4.

Ramaphosa acknowledges municipal failures as service delivery takes centre stage

President Cyril Ramaphosa has acknowledged ongoing service delivery failures in Johannesburg and across the country, calling on incoming municipal councillors to prioritise basic…

Water trucks parked at an empty water reservoir in Midrand.. Photos: Delwyn Verasamy

SAHRC warns Gauteng water crisis is about failing infrastructure, not a lack of water

A landmark SAHRC inquiry reveals that Gauteng's severe water outages stem from collapsing municipal infrastructure, massive leaks, and systemic institutional failures rather than…

Beyond the ballot: SA’s local elections are a test of governing competence

Beyond election promises to fix broken services, the real challenge for South Africa's incoming municipal councils lies in administrative competence, infrastructure maintenance,…

Promises: Parties pledge to improve municipal water and sanitation infrastructure, repair leaks. Photo: Delwyn Verasamy

Fixing SA’s broken municipalities

As voters prepare to head to the polls, major political parties have unveiled competing manifestos to fix South Africa's collapsing municipalities, restore crumbling…

Unsafe: Anna Kabini collects water in the murky Bronkhorstspruit River in Zithobeni. Photo Delwyn Verasamy

No safe water, no other choice in Bronkhorstspruit

Over 800 people have fallen ill in Bronkhorstspruit after the local water treatment plant supplied unchlorinated water for three weeks, forcing desperate residents to collect…

Grim: Sewage runs alongside homes and flies gather around the waste that has become part of everyday life . . . residents are still waiting for the basic services they say should have been provided long ago. Photos: Themba Maphanga

Three years on, Kanana is still living with the stench of neglect

Three years after deadly protests rocked Tembisa, residents of Kanana Extension 5 continue to live alongside running sewage and heaps of uncollected waste, questioning political…

Soweto residents fed up with failing services

Braamfischerville and Orange Farm residents express deep frustration over chronic sewage spills, power outages, and stalled infrastructure projects ahead of upcoming municipal…

Neglect: The problems with service delivery in North West municipalities is often attributed to high levels of corruption, which investigative bodies, such as the Special Investigating Unit, uncover annually. Photo: File

The price of broken promises

Chronic service delivery failures, crumbling infrastructure, and rampant joblessness across North West municipalities are pushing frustrated residents to punish political parties…

Editorial: You can’t sweet-talk a dry tap

As municipal dysfunction and severe water shortages plague communities across South Africa, fed-up voters head into local government elections ready to punish failing leadership…

Toothless: Local government is a “policy orphan” because it does not really influence national policy. This ultimately affects service delivery. Photo: Delwyn Verasamy

Democracy for sale, delivery not included

As South Africa approaches the local government elections, political violence, corporate capture of parties, and collapsing municipal service delivery threaten the core of…

Make your mark count: Participation in the local government elections is a right and a practical defence against being governed by default. Photo: Delwyn Verasamy

Turn grievance into a vote and mandate to deliver

Widespread service delivery failures have fuelled a crisis of grievance across South Africa. However, withdrawing from local elections only empowers the status quo; turning…

Breach of trust: Relying on tanker water is an admission of failure, a costly, temporary band-aid that can never deliver the reliable, dignified access the Constitution guarantees. Photo: Delwyn Verasamy

Water is a basic right – vote to defend it

Failing municipal infrastructure and contaminated taps are turning South Africa's water crisis into a violation of basic human rights. As local elections approach, voters must…

Worse than apathy: The young generation have watched every election promise dissolve into burst pipes, uncollected refuse and councillors who treat a woman’s body as a service fee. Photo: Delwyn Verasamy

Different ballots but the same poisoned water

Faced with failing infrastructure, poisoned water, and political indifference, South Africa's youth are turning away from the ballot box—not out of apathy, but out of a…

Water faucet. Image: Supplied

Johannesburg water outages put service delivery in election spotlight

Prolonged water outages in Johannesburg suburbs like Parktown West are pushing residents to the brink and placing deteriorating infrastructure and municipal accountability at the…