ActionSA in the Western Cape wants Knysna Municipality to be placed under administration over its handling of a prolonged sewage crisis and political governance issues. 

On 4 January, ActionSA Knysna constituency chairperson Julie Seton – herself a former Knysna DA councillor – wrote to Western Cape premier Alan Winde to ask him to place the coastal municipality under administration over a political and service delivery crisis. 

In response, Knysna municipal manager Ombali Sebola said water challenges in the municipality have been effectively addressed and the water supply has been fully restored. 

“The once-prized gem of the Garden Route has devolved into a leaderless, rudderless cesspit,” reads a letter from ActionSA, which was sent to Winde’s office on 4 January.

At the end of last year, Knysna was hit with severe sewage leaks – at the peak of tourism season – as well as a water crisis, with blame being put on the governing coalition for mismanagement of infrastructure. 

Read more in Daily Maverick: Knysna’s water and sanitation problems fuel constant political blame game in coalition government

In Seton’s letter to Winde, which Daily Maverick has seen, Seton said it was concerning that “the municipality is often unable to provide access to potable water”. 

Seton said this was an “infringement of a basic human right” and electricity outages were frequent. She also said the municipality was unable to combat vandalism “despite millions being spent on security”. 

While ActionSA does not have representation on the council, Seton was Speaker until 2023, when she resigned from the DA and later joined ActionSA. 

Read more in Daily Maverick: Knysna enduring weeks without water as Gift of the Givers steps up to plug service delivery leaks

The municipality is currently governed by a coalition of the ANC, Patriotic Alliance and local party Plaaslike Besorgde Inwoners, which took control of the council in 2022. Before this, the DA and the Knysna Independent Movement governed in a coalition after the 2021 municipal elections. They were booted out by the ANC, PA/PBI coalition. 

“ActionSA deems this an entirely unacceptable state of affairs and demands urgent intervention,” said Seton’s letter.

“Therefore, we have written to the Premier to demand the council’s dissolution and to appoint a competent administrator to remedy this crisis.” 

Knysna residents deserve better: Winde

“Premier Winde remains deeply concerned by the ongoing mismanagement at Knysna Municipality,” said Regan Thaw, Winde’s media liaison.

Knysna is Winde’s hometown. 

“In the absence of a functional municipality, services suffer, with the poor impacted the hardest. But all Knysna residents deserve better,” said Thaw on Wednesday morning. 

Thaw told Daily Maverick the provincial government was looking at ways it could help the municipality restore critical services such as sewage, refuse removal and safe drinking water. 

“A number of us from the provincial government, including from the department of local government and the provincial treasury, have been on the ground working with the municipality to look at how we can get it back on track,” said Thaw. 

The council has also worked with neighbouring municipalities such as George to address its refuse removal problems, but, according to Thaw, “This is not a sustainable longer-term solution and the municipality needs to get back into a position where it can deliver essential services”. 

Regarding the letter, municipal manager Sebola said: “We acknowledge the service delivery concerns outlined in the letter… It is crucial to emphasise that these are challenges the municipality addresses on a daily basis, and effective mechanisms have been established to manage them.” 

He maintained that all reported issues were “successfully resolved”. 

Sebola added: “Water challenges in the broader Knysna area have been effectively addressed, and the water supply has been fully restored. Our dedicated teams have tirelessly worked around the clock to ensure the swift restoration of the system. As a result, reservoir levels have significantly improved.” DM