Government is slowly getting replaced in South Africa

Across South Africa, the government is being quietly replaced by its own citizens.

Years of mismanagement, corruption, and incompetence have resulted in a severe decline in service delivery, forcing residents and businesses to take matters into their own hands.

Electricity, water, and security, once the responsibility of the state, are increasingly being provided by private individuals and organisations.

The collapse of reliable power supply is one of the most glaring examples of government failure.

South Africans are paying significantly more for electricity than they did a decade ago, yet load shedding remains a persistent reality.

In 2014, a typical Eskom customer using 800 kilowatt-hours per month paid around R1,055; today, that same usage costs R2,948—a 179% increase.

With further tariff hikes approved, the cost will rise even higher in the coming years.

While the government has struggled to stabilise the grid, citizens have turned to alternatives.

According to the South African Photovoltaic Industry Association (SAPVIA), South Africa had added 961 MW of private-sector solar photovoltaic (PV) capacity, bringing the total to nearly 9 GW.

At the height of load shedding in 2023, energy expert Anton Eberhard noted that solar installations increased by over 349% in less than a year.

This surge in private solar installations demonstrates that people no longer trust the state to provide power reliably and are willing to invest in their own solutions.

Water supply is now facing a crisis similar to electricity.

In Johannesburg, leaking pipes waste 40% of the city’s water, and theft further exacerbates the problem.

Many areas experience regular water cuts, with some suburbs going days without supply.

Over the past five months alone, Johannesburg residents received more than 400 alerts about ‘low reservoirs’ and ‘water throttling,’ with nearly 80 notices related to ‘unplanned maintenance.’

This is the result of decades of underfunding and neglect. Instead of waiting for the government to fix the problem, residents are taking action.

Sales of water tanks and boreholes have soared, with companies like JoJo Tanks struggling to keep up with demand.

Borehole installations, while expensive, are becoming essential for those who can afford them, further highlighting the divide between those who can secure their own water and those left at the mercy of a failing system.

Borehole experts at Borehole Repairs estimate that basic 1,000-liter tank systems with pumps start at R14,880, with larger 10,000-liter systems costing over R31,250, depending on size, material, and specific usage requirements.

Security is another area where the state has all but abdicated its responsibilities.

Crime has surged to alarming levels, with 84 people murdered daily in South Africa. The police force has been shrinking even as the population grows; in 2014, there were 152,977 frontline officers for 54 million people, but by 2023, that number had dropped to 145,256 for 62 million citizens.

The police-to-population ratio has worsened from 1:353 in 2014 to 1:427 in 2023—far exceeding the UN recommendation of 1:220.

With the South African Police Service (SAPS) overwhelmed and ineffective, the private security industry has stepped in.

Since 1997, the number of active private security personnel has increased by over 400%, with registered firms rising by nearly 86% since 2014.

Today, there are over 15,000 registered private security companies, employing more people than the police and military combined.

Wealthier South Africans are further fortifying their homes with security firms, electric fences, and armed response teams, while poorer communities remain vulnerable to crime.

Nowhere is this quiet replacement of government more evident than in the Ditsobotla Local Municipality in North West, which residents describe as being in a state of collapse.

Political instability, corruption, and a lack of oversight have left the municipality unable to provide basic services.

Electricity and water outages are frequent, and sanitation infrastructure is in disrepair. In response, the community has taken matters into their own hands.

The Ditsobotla Services Association (DSA), a not-for-profit organisation, was established by local businesses and residents to coordinate service delivery efforts. Farmers and businesses have stepped in to repair infrastructure, donating cables, pumps, and motors to keep essential services running.

Some residents are even providing water from their boreholes to neighbours as municipal supply dwindles.

While these private interventions have provided temporary relief, they are not a long-term solution. South Africa’s essential services should not be dependent on the goodwill and financial capacity of its citizens.

The reality, however, is that the government has failed to uphold its constitutional mandate, and in doing so, it has forced South Africans to become self-sufficient.