Maluti-a-Phofung: Maluti-a-Phofung: A study of municipal powers, state intervention, and meeting service delivery needs

Abstract

The Maluti-a-Phofung local municipality in the Free State province of South Africa is noted as among the worst-performing municipalities in South Africa (Cronje, 2022). The Auditor General of South Africa (AGSA) has detailed in annual reports for a decade how the mismanagement of this municipality has led to service delivery failures. Maluti-a-Phofung is the biggest debtor to power utility Eskom, struggles with the provision of water, while all wastewater treatment works in the municipality have collapsed. This research project, in the format of longform narrative, explores how political and governance instability contributed to delivery failures in this municipality of more than 300 000 people which encompasses the towns of Harrismith, QwaQwa, Kestell, and Phuthaditjhaba. The narrative long-form section specifically focuses on the impact of the service delivery failures and the lived experiences of the residents of this area. It gives a broad snapshot of everyday life dealing with the lack of consistent water, persistent electricity cuts, and intermittent refuse collection, among other municipal failures. It delves deep into the efforts of the community to overcome these challenges, which have hampered economic growth in the area. The long-form narrative details the political landscape and how the municipality transitioned from being governed by a single party to a coalition government. It portrays the lived consequences of bad politics and the impact political instability has had on people in the area.