Citizens take matters into their hands as state retreats

Eight years later, the situation tells a more troubling story: the state has retreated, and ordinary residents are stepping in to fill the vacuum. Communities appear to have reached protest fatigue. Marches, memorandums and shutdowns have yielded little improvement, and many residents no longer believe the municipality is capable of responding.

Instead, people are fixing problems themselves — not because they want to, but because they have no alternative. Today, we report on a group of elderly men in Vanderbijlpark who have taken it upon themselves to address the unbearable stench caused by Emfuleni’s dysfunctional sewage system. The sewage crisis has existed for many years, and at one point the national government sent in the army to stabilise the collapsing wastewater infrastructure.

Yet years later, residents are still choking on the smell of raw sewage, which explains the gallant effort of the pensioners trying to find a solution for the besieged community. In the neighbouring townships of Evaton and Sebokeng, communities embarked on another self-help project: building a safe pedestrian bridge over a local stream. The previous bridge was demolished by the municipality a decade ago, with assurances that improved infrastructure would follow.

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Nothing was done. Today, Emfuleni claims it lacks the funds to rebuild the bridge, leaving residents — including schoolchildren and the elderly — to risk their lives crossing dangerous waters on a slippery structure that has no guardrails. These acts of community initiative may be inspiring, but they are also deeply troubling.

They normalise state failure and quietly shift constitutional responsibilities from government to citizens. Emfuleni has become notorious for shoddy workmanship, abandoned projects, and broken promises, yet residents are still expected to pay rates and taxes for services they do not receive. It is neither right nor fair for taxpaying residents to assume the duties of a municipality that continues to exist, budget and employ officials.

Community action should complement government, not replace it. Emfuleni’s crisis is no longer just about mismanagement. It is about accountability — and the growing danger of a society learning to live without the state.

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