Ditsobotla - National Administration Intervention

Service delivery, including water supply, ground to a halt in September 2022 in the Ditsobotla local municipality in the North West (Lichtenburg and Coligny).

Sakeliga, in collaboration with local partners, stepped in to drastically accelerate the strategic municipal litigation that is already underway and with which Sakeliga wants to create case law for application across the country.

This case aims to escalate Ditsobotla's local state decay to the highest level of intervention provided for by the Constitution and to provide guidance in the creation of jurisprudence with which the problem can, in the long run, be solved sustainably. Sakeliga has already obtained a favourable order in Part A of the case.

Part A addresses the water crisis in Ditsobotla. A favourable agreement was reached by means of a court order in Part B.

The agreement provides for the province to intervene in Ditsobotla and Sakeliga can approach the court again in three months for national administration if the province is unsuccessful. Sakeliga obtained an order that the province must report to Sakeliga and the court every three months on the progress with the restoration of Ditsobotla.

The province was indeed unsuccessful in their task and Sakeliga approached the court for further relief. In August 2025, the North West Premier and MEC for Cooperative Governance publicly admitted the failure of provincial intervention and called on national government to invoke section 139(7) of the Constitution — directly contradicting the province's opposition in court papers.

On 3 September 2025, Cabinet approved the invocation of section 139(7) in respect of Ditsobotla. The court granted a favourable order noting the national intervention and directing that quarterly reports be served on Sakeliga.

Sakeliga was granted leave to supplement papers and seek further relief should breaches continue.