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Service delivery
Three decades into democracy, many South Africans feel there is little to celebrate this Freedom Day, as service delivery failures continue to plague communities.
President Cyril Ramaphosa will address the annual Freedom Day celebrations in Ermelo, Mpumalanga, on Sunday.
This is a culmination of the year-long celebrations of the country’s 30 years of democracy.
The day is celebrated under the theme “United in Resilience for the Defence of our Freedom and Democracy.”
SABC reporter Natasha Phiri looks at the achievements of the last three decades of freedom and what is in store for South Africa as it enters the fourth decade of freedom.
Frustrations
In Ermelo, residents have voiced growing frustration over poor access to clean water, housing, electricity, and proper roads.
A stream of raw sewage flows into the streets and local dam, polluting the area’s water resources and leaving neighborhoods with an unbearable stench.
Community leader Julia Basson describes the dire conditions: “When we open our taps, our water has worms in, it’s muddy, it looks like coffee coming directly from our tap. Our municipality has been taken to court, it has lost the court case, yet up until today our water reticulated pump has not been upgraded.”
Infrastructure across Ermelo is crumbling, with water shortages, pothole-riddled roads, and decaying municipal buildings.
One resident explains, “Our streets are full of water and sewer running in the streets, which is not safe for children, especially those with disability.”
Another adds, “Every weekend the water goes, the water comes. Last year, we sat without water for 6 months,” adding, “They don’t finish most of the project. The situation is dire here in this municipality. We lived in hope.”
As South Africa marks Freedom Day with a national celebration at AJ Swanepoel Stadium in Ermelo, some residents question the meaning of the day.
“What freedom? The oppression is still here, just in a different form. Look at the sewage, the poverty,” says a local.
Service delivery challenges extend beyond Msukaligwa Municipality and are widespread across the Gert Sibande District. District Mayor Walter Mngomezulu acknowledges the issues but points to financial constraints.
“Remember, municipalities have 49 mandates as per the Constitution. But if you look at the budget announced by the minister is not over 15% a total for the country. So we are finding ourselves constrained, we cannot afford many other mandates that are allocated to us, and our community is not coming forward in terms of payment.”
