COLIGNY, NORTH WEST — As the North West local government elections approach on November 4, political parties are crisscrossing the province to secure votes, focusing heavily on the critical issue of service delivery. Residents in areas like Coligny are expressing deep frustration over deteriorating infrastructure, hoping that campaign promises will finally translate into meaningful, on-the-ground action.
Daily life across the province has been severely disrupted by deteriorating roads and unreliable water supplies. Local residents describe the current municipal setup as entirely dysfunctional, citing a complete lack of funding for basic operations. One resident highlighted the severe logistical failures, noting that municipalities frequently claim they lack the diesel required to deploy a TLB (tractor-loader-backhoe) to clear rubbish from their streets.
In response to these growing frustrations, various political factions have taken to the campaign trail with targeted promises.
A spokesperson for the Democratic Alliance (DA) in the North West outlined a clear mandate to restore the four primary functions of a municipality. The party is campaigning on a promise to improve service delivery by specifically restoring water and electricity supplies, ensuring consistent road maintenance, and guaranteeing regular refuse collection in every community across the province.
Meanwhile, a representative for the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) vowed to hold councillors strictly accountable. The EFF spokesperson emphasized that their representatives will be “obsessed” with service delivery, job creation, and boosting investor confidence. Acknowledging that local industries have been closed due to failing infrastructure, the EFF promised to revive these sectors alongside the community. Furthermore, the party pledged to expose entrenched municipal corruption and ensure that their representatives, who are not political deployees, will work strictly according to the law.
A party contesting the local government elections for the first time also made its mark, focusing heavily on an anti-corruption agenda. Their representatives expressed adamant intentions to clean up the municipalities and ensure all officials operate within legal boundaries.
On the other side of the political spectrum, members of the African National Congress (ANC) took their campaign directly to the communities, visiting the Pet Fontaine farm where residents are urgently calling for improved living conditions. An ANC spokesperson expressed high confidence in the party’s upcoming performance, citing internal door-to-door statistics. The spokesperson noted that the party is performing exceptionally well in rural areas, having already achieved nearly 40% of their targeted canvas voter contact in the region, and remains certain they will win over the rural villages.
Looking at the broader political landscape, a political analyst noted that these upcoming polls are shaping up to be highly contested. The analyst pointed to the emergence of smaller, service-delivery-focused political parties that have proven there is fierce competition in the province’s political climate. Additionally, the analyst observed the rise of civil movements attempting to appeal to tribalistic dynamics in an effort to gain the confidence of the Batswana community within the province.
As election day looms, the ultimate test for all these parties will be whether their campaign pledges can overcome the current municipal dysfunction and deliver the basic services residents desperately require.
