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<\/a>BusinessTech visits Lichtenburg<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n BusinessTech visited Lichtenburg and spoke to residents to see whether the situation was as bad as it seemed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We found a town in a state of collapse, clearly mismanaged by its leaders. Residents’ stories ranged from sad to shocking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A good example of the collapse is the town\u2019s Cultural History Museum and town hall, which were damaged by a fire last year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The fire partially damaged the town hall and completely gutted the museum building and its artefacts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Private fire engines had to attend to the fire because the municipalities\u2019 fire engines arrived without water.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When BusinessTech visited the Cultural History Museum and town hall in November 2024, a year after the fire, nothing had been done to restore the buildings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The area, which should be the pride and joy of the town, was a mess, with empty beer bottles and litter scattered around.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Even more bizarre is the town\u2019s licensing department building, where a part of the roof collapsed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Instead of fixing the roof, the staff merely moved into the area of the building where the roof was still intact.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The town\u2019s roads have also deteriorated enormously over the last three decades. Potholes are everywhere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In some parts, tarred roads have deteriorated to such a degree that they have essentially become gravel roads.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Another problem is the Lichtenburg landfill site, where litter and waste surround the area and create a mess for residents travelling on the road.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Anyone who visits the once \u201cpretty town worth a stopover for the quaint tranquillity” can see this mess. However, the problems do not end here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Water and electricity supply problems have caused tremendous destruction in Lichtenburg and have chased many businesses away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Residents highlighted that the poor and elderly are disproportionately affected by the town\u2019s collapse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The poor and elderly do not have the resources to protect themselves against electricity and water outages, which means they suffer the most.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Electricity problems<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Lichtenburg residents told BusinessTech that the electricity supply is unstable and that outages that last for a week are common.<\/p>\n\n\n\n They blamed a lack of maintenance, incompetent municipal engineers, and not paying Eskom for the regular outages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The residents said the town\u2019s electricity infrastructure has not been maintained for the last 30 years and is currently crumbling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n An aggravating factor in the electricity crisis is that the current town engineers lack the skills to fix problems when they occur.<\/p>\n\n\n\n One resident said skilled former municipal engineers have offered to assist. However, they are chased away from the sites when they want to help.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Another problem is that criminals steal electric cables during prolonged power outages, worsening the problem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The issue of non-payment made headlines in August when Eskom refused to fix a collapsed pylon and vandalised substation due to non-payment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Eskom said the Ditsobotla Local Municipality owes it R1.2 billion and is not fulfilling its financial obligations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The situation dumped the town into darkness for weeks after Eskom demanded payment before it resumed its electricity supply.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Due to the unstable electricity supply, many residents who can afford it have installed solar PV and battery backups to serve their electricity needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n However, the less affluent residents have to deal with regular power outages which last days or weeks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Water woes<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Lichtenburg residents have suffered regular water outages for years because of collapsing infrastructure, mismanagement, and vandalism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n One resident told BusinessTech that Lichtenburg had around 17 functioning water pumps in the past to serve its needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n However, only eight of these water pumps remain. The other pumps have been stolen or vandalised.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Only two or three of the eight remaining water pumps are working, which puts the town at constant risk of water outages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the past, Lichtenburg implemented water-shedding, where residents only had water between 5 and 8 in the morning and evening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In low-lying areas, there was only around one hour of water per day. This was low-pressure and limited.<\/p>\n\n\n\n However, the situation has deteriorated, and water outages, which can last weeks at a time, are now commonplace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Many residents have installed water tanks and boreholes to serve their water needs. Tankers also provide water to residents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Last year, Sakeliga\u2019s Christo Bester said Lichtenburg receives nearly no water due to water not being pumped and reservoirs running dry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThere is no municipal staff available to attend to breakdowns in the water and electricity reticulation networks,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Refuse removal<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Refuse removal happens more regularly. However, when BusinessTech visited Lichtenburg, it did not happen for two weeks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Residents blamed the Ditsobotla Local Municipality for not paying the refuse removal staff, who then stopped providing the service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n One resident told BusinessTech that Lichtenburg used to have three fully functioning garbage trucks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n However, one truck disappeared, and another has broken down and has not been fixed. This means the town is left with only one truck to service residents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Interventions to save Lichtenburg<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n In August 2024, the FF Plus in North West submitted proposals for a drastic cabinet intervention in the Ditsobotla Local Municipality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Its proposals entail a new approach in which a national, interministerial intervention team steps in to get the situation back under control and restore sustainable service delivery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Such an intervention team should consist of senior officials from COGTA, the police, the Hawks, and the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA).<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt will ensure that the workers of lawlessness in and outside of the municipality are held accountable,\u201d the FF Plus said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe residents of the greater Ditsobotla municipal area should not be left at the mercy of corrupt and criminal elements destroying the community and local economy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n In September 2024, Sakeliga requested the National Executive to urgently fulfil its constitutional obligation to intervene directly in Ditsobotla Local Municipality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe National Executive\u2019s intervention should replace the failed and misdirected intervention by the Northwest Provincial Executive,\u201d Sakeliga said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n They argue the Northwest Provincial Executive ignored service delivery and limited its interventions to \u2018plans about plans\u2019 for restoring the municipal bureaucracy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe National Executive should now take direct responsibility for service delivery until a functional local administration emerges,\u201d it said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Cultural History Museum and Town Hall<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Former sports grounds and library<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Collapsing road infrastructure<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Industries collapsing<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/a><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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