WORLDVIEW: Why the Makana municipal victory won’t fix anything
The residents of Makhanda won an unexpected victory against the Makana municipality this year when a High Court judge ordered that the municipality's council be dissolved for failing to do its job.
Makana, which includes Makhanda and the surrounding areas, suffered under years of mismanagement and neglect, culminating in sewerage leaks, piles of uncollected rubbish, potholed roads, water shortages, and air pollution. The municipality even neglected to pay Eskom, leading to the threat of the area's power being cut off.
Fed up residents, led by the Unemployed People's Movement, sued and – surprisingly – managed to persuade the courts that the service delivery failures were a breach of the Constitution (specifically, the municipality's Constitutional obligations to provide services). The judge ruled that the council be dissolved, and an administrator be appointed by the Eastern Cape provincial government to clean up the mess.
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