The decline was on full display during this year\u2019s National Arts Festival in July. Visitors arriving after dark found the streets crumbling and almost completely unlit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The festival has shrunk dramatically. Ten years ago, it attracted about 225,000 people and staged more than 600 shows. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
In 2013, it contributed the equivalent of R460 million to the provincial economy, with R159 million going into Makhanda itself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Last year, it generated just R132 million for the province and R58 million for the city. This year, there were only 242 shows, and audiences were visibly smaller.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The town\u2019s failing services are a big reason for this decline. As early as 2016, then-festival CEO Tony Lankester warned that the biggest threat to the event was not a lack of funding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It was the municipality\u2019s inability to provide basic services like water and electricity. Residents have struggled with water shortages for over a decade, even when supply dams are full.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Large institutions have had to find their own solutions. Rhodes University, which has 9,000 students and is the town\u2019s largest ratepayer, is building its own water treatment plant using borehole water. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cA significant challenge facing the university is the unreliable water supply from the Makana municipality,\u201d said deputy vice-chancellor Professor Mabokang Monnapula-Mapesela in July. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The university is also exploring renewable energy to avoid relying on the fragile municipal electricity system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The town\u2019s top private schools have been forced to act as well. The Diocesan School for Girls and Kingswood College now use boreholes and rainwater harvesting. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
St Andrew\u2019s College still depends mainly on municipal water but switches to its own supplies during outages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Municipality mayor and manager appear before the SAHRC<\/h2>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Makhanda-1024x576.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nFor ordinary residents, the picture is even worse. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Water leaks and sewage spills are common, and potholes have left many streets almost undrivable. Municipal buildings are also crumbling, and the electricity supply is unreliable.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Auditor-General has repeatedly flagged serious problems in Makana\u2019s finances, issuing the worst possible audit finding (disclaimer of opinion) every year since 2018\/19. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
This means the municipality\u2019s books are in such a mess that they cannot even be properly checked. These failures have drawn the attention of the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC). <\/p>\n\n\n\n
On 27 August this year, it called for the dissolution of the Makana council after yet another hearing on the town\u2019s and municipality’s problems. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nFor ordinary residents, the picture is even worse. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Water leaks and sewage spills are common, and potholes have left many streets almost undrivable. Municipal buildings are also crumbling, and the electricity supply is unreliable.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Auditor-General has repeatedly flagged serious problems in Makana\u2019s finances, issuing the worst possible audit finding (disclaimer of opinion) every year since 2018\/19. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
This means the municipality\u2019s books are in such a mess that they cannot even be properly checked. These failures have drawn the attention of the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC). <\/p>\n\n\n\n
On 27 August this year, it called for the dissolution of the Makana council after yet another hearing on the town\u2019s and municipality’s problems. <\/p>\n\n\n\n