Ga-Segonyana Local Municipality, responsible for Kuruman and surrounding areas in the Northern Cape, has subjected its residents to weeks-long water outages that have become the norm rather than the exception. The municipality's water infrastructure — including boreholes, pump stations, and distribution networks — has deteriorated to a state of near-total collapse.
When residents attempted to engage municipal leadership, the mayor repeatedly failed to attend scheduled public meetings, leaving communities to fend for themselves. Residents have resorted to collecting water from private boreholes, travelling long distances to other towns, or purchasing water from informal vendors at inflated prices. Schools and clinics operate without reliable water supply.
The Ga-Segonyana area, which includes significant mining operations, generates substantial economic activity. Yet the municipality cannot perform the most basic function of government: providing water. The Auditor-General has flagged the municipality for years, but the findings have not translated into any material improvement. The gap between the municipality's constitutional obligation to provide services and the reality experienced by residents represents one of the starkest examples of state failure in the Northern Cape.