Central SA
Free State HRC still probing troubled municipality─── LUCKY NKUYANE 13:20 Wed, 13 Jul 2022
The probe into the alleged water crisis at the cash-strapped Trompsburg-based Kopanong Local Municipality is continuing months after a complaint was lodged with the human rights body.
According to the Free State's South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) spokesperson, Thabang Kheswa, there are developments and the investigation is continuing.
In October 2021, the DA in the province, led by the Member of the Provincial Legislature (MPL), Karabo Khakhau, complained to the Human Rights Commission after residents struggled with water for a period of time, following a water cut supply by Bloem Water.
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At the time, the DA laid a complaint against the cash-strapped municipality that struggled to pay for its services, such as water, and also the salaries of its employees, despite constant promises. In 2021, Khakhau said the municipality had incurred a whopping R400 million debt with the water utility, Bloem Water, over a number of years. The municipality is yet to comment.
Khakhau said for years the party had made countless strides to engage the leadership of the municipality about these issues but nothing ever came from their efforts.
