The DA has escalated its battle over service delivery by laying a formal complaint with the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) against the City of Ekurhuleni, in which it accuses the municipality of persistently failing to resolve what the party describes as a housing crisis.

The DA wants the Chapter 9 institution to issue binding recommendations to enforce accountability, boost transparency, and speed up project delivery.

This move follows a Memorandum of Demands that the DA submitted to Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi’s office last month, which requested urgent provincial intervention.

According to DA Ekurhuleni mayoral candidate Khathutshelo Rasilingwane, the Premier’s office has completely ignored the submission.

"To date, no response has been received... we must now ask for the commission’s intervention," Rasilingwane stated.

She explained that Ekurhuleni accounts for a housing backlog of 283 235 households, noting that this figure was revealed in response to questions submitted by the DA to the Human Settlements MMC in October 2025.

While the City reported progress this April, citing the delivery of 2 980 houses and the handover of 2 890 serviced stands since April 2024, Rasilingwane said these interventions fall short of addressing the overall housing backlog.

The DA highlighted that several high-profile housing developments are plagued by years of delays, contract disruptions, and stalled construction, such as the Hospital View project, the Esselen Mega Housing Project, Winnie Mandela Extension 25, Mackenzieville Extension two and Vosloorus Extension nine.

The DA argued that the municipality is violating basic legal mandates. Section 26 of the Constitution guarantees the right to adequate housing, while the Housing Act forces local governments to drive sustainable development.

"For hundreds of thousands of residents in Ekurhuleni, that constitutional promise remains unfulfilled," Rasilingwane stated.