The inhumane conditions that the residents of Phomolong, Hennenman, are forced to live in have been reported to the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC).
Maxi Badenhorst, ward councillor, says the DA submitted a formal complaint against the Gap Infrastructure Corporation (GIC), a company focused on social and public infrastructure development including water and sanitation, the Free State Department of Human Settlements, and Matjhabeng for the dilapidated condition of roads in the area.
“The GIC-managed water, stormwater, and road infrastructure have collapsed. The Department of Human Settlements initially funded this project in July 2024 but abruptly halted it in February 2025 due to the GIC’s non-payment to the contractor, Liber Civils.
“This abandonment has left the roads dilapidated, worsened by the recent heavy rainfall. The area is flooded with water and mud flowing through homes and damaging property. The roads are inaccessible to residents, emergency services and water delivery trucks.
“The elderly, persons with disabilities, and children are living in dangerously wet and unsanitary conditions, with no support from the municipality or provincial government,” says Badenhorst.
She says that despite repeated complaints and requests for intervention, the GIC, the provincial Department of Human Settlements, and Matjhabeng have failed to act. The GIC has cited its inability to source a tractor loader backhoe (TLB) as its only excuse, while the department and municipality have remained silent and absent in the face of the growing crisis.
Following a meeting with the GIC and human settlements department on 6 March, in which the GIC undertook to address the flooding, Badenhorst has made numerous follow-up calls and written requests. These calls for urgent intervention have been ignored.
“This is not just a matter of failed service delivery; it is a direct violation of the human rights of the people of Phomolong. Our residents are suffering, yet the very institutions meant to serve and protect them are nowhere to be found. We call on the SAHRC to launch an immediate investigation and to compel the department, GIC, and the municipality to take responsibility for the situation they have created. The time for excuses is over; the people of Phomolong need action, dignity, and justice.”
