Administration court case: Ramaphosa wants to oppose AfriForum’s intervention

President Cyril Ramaphosa is a party to the court application to place Ngwathe Local Municipality under provincial administration due to the constant lack of service delivery and especially the ongoing water crisis. Ramaphosa has now indicated that he will oppose AfriForum’s court application. Earlier this month, AfriForum submitted court documents to the Bloemfontein High Court to place this municipality under provincial administration.

According to Alta Pretorius, AfriForum’s District Coordinator for the Mooi River, it appears that Ramaphosa approves of the lack of service delivery and the decay in this municipality rather than intervening and ensuring that residents of Parys and Heilbron in particular receive water and basic service delivery. No legal aid is sought against Ramaphosa, he has only been added as a respondent in his supervisory role.

In their court documents, AfriForum argued, among other things, that the municipality is failing to ensure a safe and liveable environment for residents. The collapse of the municipality is visible in, among other things:

• their failure to structure and control the municipal administration;
• the complete lack of budgets and any planning processes;
• their failure to express the basic needs of the community; and
• their utter failure to promote the social and economic growth of the community.

Residents of Parys have been suffering for years from the lack of clean water and currently Heilbron also has very little water because the Ngwathe Municipality does not fulfil their financial obligations to Randwater. Service delivery generally does not exist in the Ngwathe Municipality.

According to Pretorius, the Ngwathe Municipality has not yet indicated whether they will oppose the application. “A court date has not yet been set after the latest developments. The community is really disappointed in Ramaphosa’s decision to oppose this application and we await his defence.”

If you want to get involved with the AfriForum branch, contact Schalk Burger on 082 653 4281 or visit www.wordlid.co.za.