10 OCT 2022

Speed up drastic interventions at Ditsobotla municipality

SPEED UP DRASTIC INTERVENTIONS IN DITSOBOTLA MUNICIPALITY

Why this urgent case?

Service delivery, including water supply, ground to a halt in September 2022 in the Ditsobotla local municipality in North West (Lichtenburg and Coligny). Sakeliga, in collaboration with local partners, intervened to bring about drastic acceleration of the strategic municipal litigation already underway and by means of which Sakeliga wants to create legal precedent to be applied all over the country. In this case, where Sakeliga already has obtained a favourable court order in the first leg of the application, the strategy is to escalate intervention in Ditsobotla’s local state decay to the highest level of intervention provided for by the Constitution and to give guidance in creating legal precedent to solve the problem in the long run in a sustainable manner.

Core to the relief that Sakeliga is asking is authorisation for community bodies themselves to conduct emergency interventions and that Sakeliga and our partners may supervise the government’s interventions.

Case details

Status: Active; urgent application

Case started: 7 October 2022

Court: High Court, Mahikeng

Next court date:
To be determined by case management.

Timeline of events Court papers

FOLLOW EVENTS IN THIS CASE

Attorneys for Sakeliga send a letter to the Judge-President of the High Court and ask for an urgent case management meeting so that the case can urgently get back on track.

Early in the morning on the 23rd of March, Sakeliga’s legal team is confronted with the reality of several other applications that have also been placed before the same court, and which will seize the court for most of the two days allocated for Sakeliga’s cases. Further affidavits by the Minister of Finance and the Ditsobotla Municipality, which were filed at the eleventh hour the night before, make a postponement of the case inevitable.

Following the local municipality’s failure to comply with the order in Part A, Sakeliga obtains a further order in Part A to compel the district municipality to restore the water supply by 17 March 2023 and to report back to court under oath on the same day.

The High Court orders that the September 2022 urgent application must be heard together with Sakeliga’s already pending application for the appointment of a paymaster on 23 and 24 March 2023. This is a special allocation.

The case is resumed before the court for the hearing of submissions about the government’s non-compliance with the part A order of 13 October and with a view to an amended part A order which strengthens Sakeliga’s already obtained remedies in part A. Part B of the application must also be heard.

However, the judge declares that he cannot hear the case because the same judge who heard the Part A application should preside over the present matter. The court adjourns.

The administrator and provincial government remain in failure to resolve the water crisis as required by the order in Part A of the court case.

Part B of the court application is set down for hearing, but is adjourned to a future date due to the government’s non-compliance with the part A order. The judge adjourns the court so that the government’s respective legal teams can reach consensus among themselves on how the government could explain their non-compliance with the Part A order to the court, and what possible agreement could be made with Sakeliga.

Part A of the court case against the government, which deals with the restoration of water supply, is heard. The court delivers judgment in Part A of the application on the same day. The court orders in Sakeliga’s favor that the administrator must ensure water supply in accordance with the community’s needs. The court also orders that Sakeliga may exercise a supervisory role over the restoration of water services.

Sakeliga launches an urgent court application in the North West Division of the High Court. Sakeliga is assisted by two co-applicants, a public interest organisation and a local businessman.

23 September 2022

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LATEST NEWS IN THIS CASE

Sakeliga takes action against state delays in court cases over municipal failure

Lees meer »29 March 2023

Further relief granted in Sakeliga’s favour over water in Ditsobotla, but big fight still lies ahead

Lees meer »10 March 2023

Lichtenburg municipal crisis: government persists in failure, Sakeliga intensifies legal action

Lees meer »11 November 2022

Crisis in Lichtenburg, Coligny – Sakeliga obtains favourable judgment in court

Lees meer »21 October 2022

Sluit Aan

24 March 2023	Attorneys for Sakeliga send a letter to the Judge-President of the High Court and ask for an urgent case management meeting so that the case can urgently get back on track.
23 March 2023	Early in the morning on the 23rd of March, Sakeliga's legal team is confronted with the reality of several other applications that have also been placed before the same court, and which will seize the court for most of the two days allocated for Sakeliga's cases. Further affidavits by the Minister of Finance and the Ditsobotla Municipality, which were filed at the eleventh hour the night before, make a postponement of the case inevitable.
7 March 2023	Following the local municipality's failure to comply with the order in Part A, Sakeliga obtains a further order in Part A to compel the district municipality to restore the water supply by 17 March 2023 and to report back to court under oath on the same day.
13 February 2023	The High Court orders that the September 2022 urgent application must be heard together with Sakeliga's already pending application for the appointment of a paymaster on 23 and 24 March 2023. This is a special allocation.
7 March 2023	Following the local municipality's failure to comply with the order in Part A, Sakeliga obtains a further order in Part A to compel the district municipality to restore the water supply by 17 March 2023 and to report back to the court on that date.
18 November 2022	The case is resumed before the court for the hearing of submissions about the government's non-compliance with the part A order of 13 October and with a view to an amended part A order which strengthens Sakeliga's already obtained remedies in part A. Part B of the application must also be heard. However, the judge declares that he cannot hear the case because the same judge who heard the Part A application should preside over the present matter. The court adjourns.
10 November 2022	The administrator and provincial government remain in failure to resolve the water crisis as required by the order in Part A of the court case. Part B of the court application is set down for hearing, but is adjourned to a future date due to the government's non-compliance with the part A order. The judge adjourns the court so that the government's respective legal teams can reach consensus among themselves on how the government could explain their non-compliance with the Part A order to the court, and what possible agreement could be made with Sakeliga.
13 October 2022	Part A of the court case against the government, which deals with the restoration of water supply, is heard. The court delivers judgment in Part A of the application on the same day. The court orders in Sakeliga's favor that the administrator must ensure water supply in accordance with the community's needs. The court also orders that Sakeliga may exercise a supervisory role over the restoration of water services.
7 October 2022	Sakeliga launches an urgent court application in the North West Division of the High Court. Sakeliga is assisted by two co-applicants, a public interest organisation and a local businessman.
30 September 2022	A meeting takes place between Sakeliga and representatives of the provincial government (North West) and national government. The government offers no undertaking that critical services such as water supply will be restored within the coming days and offers only vague undertakings as to when an administrator will be appointed and municipal workers will return to their jobs.
23 September 2022	Sakeliga sends a letter of demand to the North West provincial government, the national government and president and demands an urgent meeting with representatives of the government regarding the humanitarian and constitutional crisis in the Ditsobotla local municipality. Sakeliga also demands, among other things, that mandatory national interventions be carried out under section 139(7) of the Constitution, and an administrator be appointed immediately.
20 September 2022	Sakeliga meets with chambers of commerce, businesspeople and others in the affected areas to obtain more details about the matter.

24 Maart 2023	Prokureurs vir Sakeliga stuur 'n brief aan die Regter-President van die hooggeregshof en vra vir 'n dringende saakbestuurvergadering sodat die saak dringend weer terug op spoor kan kom.
23 Maart 2023	Vroegoggend op die 23ste Maart word Sakeliga se regspan gekonfronteer met die realiteit van verskeie ander aansoeke wat ook voor dieselfde hof geplaas is, en wat meeste van die hof se tyd daardie twee dae in beslag sal neem. Verdere eedsverklarings deur onder andere die Minister van Finansies en die Ditsobotla Munisipaliteit wat ter elfder uur die aand voor die tyd geliasseer is, maak 'n uitstel van die saak onvermydelik.
7 Maart 2023	Na aanleiding van die plaaslike munisipaliteit se versuim om aan die bevel in Deel A te voldoen, bekom Sakeliga 'n verdere bevel in Deel A om die distriksmunisipaliteit te verplig om teen 17 Maart 2023 die watertoevoer te herstel en op daardie datum aan die hof verslag te doen daaroor.
13 Februarie 2023	Die Hooggereshof beveel dat die September 2022 dringende aansoek saam met Sakeliga se reeds hangende aansoek om die aanstelling van 'n betaalmeester, op 23 en 24 Maart 2023 aangehoor moet word. Dit is 'n spesiale allokasie.
18 November 2022	Die saak word hervat voor die hof, vir die aanhoor van submissies oor die regering se nie-voldoening aan die deel A-bevel van 13 Oktober en met die oog op ‘n gewysigde deel A-bevel wat Sakeliga se reeds verkreë regshulp versterk. Deel B van die aansoek moet ook aangehoor word. Die regter is egter van mening dat hy nie die saak kan aanhoor nie en verwys die saak na 'n ander waarnemende regter. Die waarnemende regter neem op daardie stadium egter nie meer waar nie, en spesiale direktiewe moet eers by die regterpresident van die Noordwes-afdeling van die Hooggeregshof bekom word voor die saak verder geneem kan word.
10 November 2022	Die administrateur en provinsiale regering bly steeds in versuim om die waterkrisis op te los soos die bevel in Deel A van die hofsaak vereis. Deel B van die hofaansoek word aangehoor, maar staan oor na 'n toekomstige datum as gevolg van die regering se nie-voldoening aan die deel A-bevel. Die regter verdaag die hof sodat die regering se onderskeie regspanne eenstemmigheid kan bereik onder mekaar oor hoe die regering hul nie-voldoening aan die Deel A-bevel aan die hof kon verduidelik, en watter moontlike ooreenkoms met Sakeliga gemaak kon word.
13 Oktober 2022	Deel A van die hofsaak teen die regering, wat handel met die herstel van watertoevoer word aangehoor. Die hof lewer op dieselfde dag uitspraak in die Deel A-been van die aansoek. Die hof beveel in Sakeliga se guns dat die administrateur watertoevoer moet verseker ooreenkomstig die gemeenskap se behoeftes. Die hof beveel ook dat Sakeliga 'n toesigrol mag uitoefen oor die herstel van waterdienste.
7 Oktober 2022	Sakeliga loods 'n dringende hofaansoek in die Noordwes-afdeling van die Hooggeregshof. Sakeliga word bygestaan deur twee mede-applikante, ‘n openbare belang-organisasie en ‘n plaaslike sakeman.
30 September 2022	'n Vergadering vind plaas tussen Sakeliga en verteenwoordigers van die provinsiale regering (Noordwes) en nasionale regering. Die regering bied geen onderneming dat kritieke dienste soos watertoevoer binne die komende dae herstel sal word nie en bied slegs vae ondernemings oor wanneer 'n administrateur aangewys sal word en munisipale werkers sal terugkeer na hul poste.
23 September 2022	Sakeliga stuur 'n aanmaning aan die Noordwes provinsiale regering, die nasionale regering en president en eis 'n dringende vergadering met verteenwoordigers van die regering oor die humanitêre en konstitusionele krisis in die Ditsobotla plaaslike munisipaliteit. Sakeliga eis ook, onder andere, dat verpligte nasionale ingrepe kragtens artikel 139(7) van die Grondwet gedoen word, en 'n administrateur dadelik aangestel word.
20 September 2022	Sakeliga vergader met sakekamers, sakelui en andere in die geaffekteerde areas om meer besonderhede te bekom oor die aangeleentheid.

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