Deputy President Paul Mashatile visited the Matjhabeng Local Municipality in Welkom on Tuesday to oversee the Clean Cities and Towns integrated service delivery program, a nationwide campaign aimed at promoting cleaner, greener, and more inclusive urban and rural spaces.
Launched last month in Gauteng, the initiative encourages community participation in cleaning activities while addressing critical service delivery issues in struggling municipalities.
Focus on Infrastructure and Service Delivery
During his visit, Mashatile inspected key projects, including a helium gas plant intended to create jobs in the mining-dependent region and a water treatment plant critical to addressing sanitation challenges. The municipality has faced severe service delivery failures, including water shortages and sewage mismanagement.
Local officials emphasized the need to revive infrastructure, particularly the water treatment facility, which is meant to process raw sewage but has been non-functional, leading to environmental contamination. “All the raw sewage flows directly into nearby streams, joining the Vaal River system,” a municipal representative admitted during the debriefing.
Municipality Under Administration
Matjhabeng has been plagued by financial instability, including a R6 billion debt owed to water entity Sedibeng Water, and was recently placed under administration. The Democratic Alliance (DA) had previously taken the municipality to court over service delivery failures, resulting in a court-mandated financial recovery plan.
Residents have repeatedly protested poor service delivery, particularly electricity cuts and water supply issues. One community member lamented, “We had power at the beginning of last year, but due to municipal failures, it was never restored.”
Community Engagement and Next Steps
Mashatile is expected to engage with residents later today to hear their grievances directly. The Clean Cities campaign, while promoting environmental responsibility, also serves as a platform to assess and fast-track stalled municipal projects.
The Deputy President’s visit highlights the urgent need for intervention in Matjhabeng. “This municipality has been unstable for years, and this campaign is also about checking progress on critical projects,” the reporter said.
Looking Ahead
The government hopes the initiative will not only improve living conditions but also restore public trust in local governance. However, with Matjhabeng’s deep-rooted financial and administrative challenges, sustained efforts will be required to ensure long-term solutions.
For now, Deputy President Mashatile’s visit underscores the administration’s commitment to addressing service delivery backlogs—though residents remain cautiously optimistic about tangible change.
