By Masilo Malakwane
QWAQWA – Deputy President David Mabuza’s visit to the troubled Maluti a Phofung local municipality on Tuesday, 30 March 2021, was met with mixed reactions from the community.
This after angry community members, opposition councilors, local stakeholders and biggest municipal union Samwu were barred from entering the engagement venue in the district council chamber which led to them protesting at the entrance of the chamber.
Some have expressed their regrets towards the municipality for poorly convening the meeting.
Moeketsi Lebesa, leader of Dikwankwetla Party of South Africa stated that the municipality’s move to bar them from taking part in the meeting had ruined the co-operation they had with the opposition parties.
“This is a clear indication that the municipality is taking us for granted. We were told that we were not invited at the door, so how is the Deputy President going to get the truth about the water crisis and electricity in Map. All bets are off, we will meet in the chamber” stated Lebesa accompanied by APC, DA and MAP16.
Another unsatisfied leader of shutdown protests against shortage water , Mpho Skhozana said “we were hoping to get answers from those people from Sedibeng because all stakeholders were here. I think we will get a solution because we told the Deputy President that there are matters that need to be attended.”
Mabuza’s visit was the official part of his undertaking in the National Assembly to intervene in service delivery hotspots municipalities and ensure that service delivery challenges of such communities are addressed.
Mabuza raised concern over slow pace of service delivery to the people while visiting Elizabeth Ross where a substation is being constructed in which R65 million has been allocated and so far 120 people have been employed.
“I am worried about the pace ,so we are going to discuss that and probably talk to the minister , so that we move a bit fast. As we speak people do not have electricity.
“Electricity challenges in Map would be resolved by the end of April and I have made a commitment to return to the area again in 15 days to monitor progress” he disclosed.
He was confident that the resident of Maluti a Phofung will soon have their water and electricity challenges resolved.
“We have called all the business fora in the area so that we could talk to them; these are job opportunities for them. There is no need to disrupt these projects because people want water.”
He said plans and presentations made to him by the municipality and the various stakeholders indicate that work towards ensuring that there is water and electricity underway.
In addition, he expressed confidence in the plans presented by the municipality, Eskom and other stakeholders, saying they will bear positive results; but noted the number of projects that are running in QwaQwa had not been disrupted before they could have been finished.
Maluti-a-Phofung was previously placed under administration, Section 139 (1) (b) on the Constitution which had since been lifted.
Mabuza who led a delegation made up of Deputy Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Obed Bapela, Deputy Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition, Fikile Majola, Free State Premier, Sefora Ntombela, Free State MEC CoGTA, Thembeni Nxangisa, Executive Mayor of Maluti a Phofung Masetjhba Mosia Lakaje alongside Municipal Manager Futhuli Mothamaha paid a courtesy call to the homestead of Principal chief of Batlokwa and Bakwena Morena Montoedi Mota and Morena Moremoholo Mopeli where they received blankets from both chiefs.
