In what is being described as a landmark judgment, the North West High Court in Mahikeng allowed a ratepayers association of Koster and Swartruggens to take over the municipal waterworks after the municipality failed to supply clean drinking water to residents.
Judge Festus Gura found that the Kgetlengrivier local municipality [KLM] and Bojanala district municipality "are in breach of their constitutional obligation for providing potable water sustainably".
"It is declared that the water purifying works at Koster and Swartruggens are in states of disrepair and are mismanaged," Gura found.
