Public Protector Kholeka Gcaleka has issued a damning report into the City of Cape Town's failure to provide adequate municipal services to residents of Langa Flats and Khayelitsha.
The findings follow a four-year investigation into complaints relating to service delivery in the two communities.
In her report, Gcaleka found that financial constraints cannot be used as a justification for municipalities to neglect their constitutional obligations to residents.
She stressed that all three spheres of government have a responsibility to work together to ensure communities receive the essential services they are entitled to.
Gcaleka said municipalities remain legally obliged to fulfil their service delivery responsibilities, regardless of financial challenges.
The City of Cape Town, however, has disputed several of the Public Protector's findings, arguing that the report does not accurately reflect the current situation.
According to the City, many of the issues raised by residents during the investigation have since been addressed in the four years it took for the report to be finalised.
City officials contend that significant improvements have been made since the complaints were first lodged and say portions of the report are now outdated.
The Public Protector's report nevertheless highlights the need for continued collaboration between national, provincial and local government to improve service delivery and ensure municipalities meet their constitutional obligations to communities.