Mahikeng, the capital of the North West Province, experienced a total collapse of municipal services that shocked even a country accustomed to service delivery failures. By early 2018, residents were receiving only approximately two hours of water per day — when they received any at all. Sewage ran through streets. Refuse went uncollected for weeks. Roads deteriorated to the point of being impassable.
In an extraordinary act of self-reliance, Mahikeng residents organised themselves and effectively took over running their own basic services for approximately four months. Community volunteers fixed water pipes, organised refuse collection, and coordinated emergency responses — functions the municipality had abandoned.
The municipal collapse was part of the broader North West governance crisis under Premier Supra Mahumapelo. Mass protests erupted across the province in April 2018, with residents demanding Mahumapelo's removal. The situation became so dire that President Ramaphosa invoked Section 100(1)(b) of the Constitution, placing the province under national administration. Mahumapelo was eventually recalled by the ANC.
The Mahikeng collapse stands as perhaps the most extreme example of state failure in a provincial capital. That the seat of government itself could not receive basic services — and that citizens had to replace the state — revealed the depth of institutional decay.