Staff Writer | Tue, 16 December 2025
Residents of Kgakala near Leeudoringstad in the North West are warning of a looming public-health crisis as years of neglect, poverty and failing municipal services continue to erode living conditions in the community.
Kgakala, a township that lies between the R504 road and the outskirts of Wolmaransstad under the ANC-led Maquassi Hills Local Municipality, within the Dr Kenneth Kaunda District Municipality.
Instead of care, residents said they have been left to endure inadequate sanitation, unreliable access to clean drinking water, irregular refuse removal and soaring unemployment.
One of the community leaders Lilane Mogorosi said at the centre of community outrage is a massive, unmanaged dumping site located just metres from residential homes and at the main entrance to both Kgakala and Leeudoringstad.
He said the site is littered with household waste, broken furniture and discarded tyres, creating what residents describe as a breeding ground for disease-carrying pests.
“Even a pigsty is better than our kasi,” one resident said, pointing to the overpowering stench, swarms of flies and roaming rodents. “We are not fully represented. We are led by pseudo-leaders kings sitting on another man’s throne, ” he said.
Health risks escalating
Public-health experts have long warned about the dangers of illegal dumping near residential areas. Studies conducted across South Africa show a strong link between proximity to unmanaged waste sites and an increase in respiratory illnesses, skin infections and vector-borne diseases.
He highlighted a 2025 cross-sectional study in Rocklands, Free State, that found that residents living within five kilometres of an illegal dumping site were significantly more likely to experience wheezing, chest tightness and chronic coughing.
Mogorosi maintains that the situation in Kgakala mirrors these findings, with children often seen playing near the waste while elderly residents complain of persistent respiratory problems.
Accusations of “lip service”
Residents accuse the North West provincial government, the Dr Kenneth Kaunda District Municipality and the Maquassi Hills Municipality of paying nothing more than “lip service” to their plight.
“Promises have been made, financial years have come and passed, but nothing has been done to remove this dumping site. They knew about it. There is no excuse,” he added.
Repeated requests for comment from the municipalities went unanswered, while the national Department of Environmental Affairs also failed to issue an immediate response.
Community members say the neglect is particularly humiliating given the location of the dumping site.
“This is right at the main entrance of both Kgakala and Leeudoringstad,” another resident said.
“Because this is a rural town, they think it’s acceptable. We mean nothing to the province. We are not valued or taken seriously.”
The North West municipalities and departments have been a subject of the Auditor-General(AG) Tsakani Maluleke’s scathing report over the years.
Auditor-General reports paint a broader picture
The crisis in Kgakala reflects wider governance failures highlighted in recent Auditor-General Tsakani Maluleke’s reports for the 2023–24 and 2024–25 financial years.
The reports reveal widespread regression across municipalities, with declining governance and financial-management standards and worsening audit outcomes.
Key findings include weak internal controls, widespread irregular expenditure and significant levels of fruitless and wasteful spending.
These failures are compounded by instability in leadership, particularly vacancies in critical positions such as municipal managers, which continue to undermine institutional continuity.
The AG further noted a persistent lack of accountability, with municipalities slow to act on audit findings and consequence management either weak or inconsistently applied.
Communities bear the cost
According to the Auditor-General, these governance failures directly affect communities through poor service delivery, deteriorating infrastructure and ongoing sewage and waste-management problems. Funds meant for development and essential services are often misused, further eroding public trust.
In Kgakala, residents say the cost of these failures is measured in declining health, loss of dignity and a growing sense of abandonment.
Calls for urgent action
Community leaders are now calling on authorities to declare the dumping site a public-health emergency and take immediate action.
“It’s time for them to ship out,” one resident said, referring to local councillors. “We deserve clean air, safe living conditions and a functioning waste-management system.”
As service-delivery protests continue to flare up across the country, Kgakala stands as a stark reminder of the consequences of prolonged neglect. Residents hope their struggle will finally move from the shadows of forgotten townships into the spotlight of decisive and accountable governance.
News Junction (Gold Standard)