Incomplete Ditsobotla road project hampers residents’ freedom of movement – SAHRC

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20-11-2025
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Sunday World
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The embattled Ditsobotla Local Municipality’s ongoing failure to complete the Itsoseng Zone 2 road project has severely restricted residents’ freedom of movement and placed multiple constitutional rights at risk.

This is according to the South African Human Rights Commission’s (SAHRC) Investigative Report into the State of Municipal Service Delivery in the North West, which was released on Tuesday, November 18.

The report states that communities across several municipalities, including JB Marks, Ditsobotla, Moretele, Moses Kotane and Rustenburg have long suffered from failing road infrastructure that “violates residents’ right to freedom of movement in section 21 of the Constitution.”

Undermines rights to education, healthcare

The report highlights how, in many areas, “the lack of reliable roads exacerbates isolation and cuts off access to schools, clinics and emergency services, thereby indirectly undermining the rights to basic education (section 29) and healthcare (section 27(1)(a)).”

Children in these communities are placed at particular risk. The commission noted that they are forced to walk through flooded streets or navigate unsafe, deteriorated roads. This infringes their right to the security of the person.

In its response to the commission submitted in July 2025 after subpoena proceedings, the municipality conceded to the allegations. Ditsobotla reported that since 2021, three contractors had been appointed. The latest was appointed in April 2025 after the first two failed to complete the project.

During the inspection, the commission observed alarming conditions. The report notes that some excavations remained uncovered, leaving holes and exposed electrical wiring. Other sections had progressed to road layer works awaiting paving.

Shoddy work by contractors

In the incomplete sections, the contractor had only removed the vegetation that had begun growing in the middle of the road, causing water leaks along the road in the process. By contrast, the adjacent Zone 1 road had already been completed and paved.

The commission noted the deep anxiety from residents about yet another potential abandonment of the project. They told the commission that contractors had not been present for several weeks. Also that the road’s deteriorated condition “made it nearly inaccessible, obstructing funeral processions and emergency services, and rendering it unusable during rain”.

The municipality assured the commission that road layer works would be finalised by July 31 2025. Full project completion is targeted for September 7 2025.

Missed various deadlines

However, a subsequent site inspection raised further alarm. The SAHRC found that “while some progress had been made, construction remained behind schedule. This raised concerns that the road may not be completed within the promised timeframe”.

The situation is further complicated by ongoing instability within Ditsobotla, which is under administration.