Angry protestors shut down Makhado civic centre

The Makhado municipality’s doors were forced shut on Monday, 1 March by unhappy residents from Vleifontein, who claim that they are getting no service delivery from the municipality.

Protesters disrupted services and blocked the entrance to the civic centre for six hours, complaining about the still unrepaired streets that were damaged by floods four years ago. They also complained about the high crime rate they are experiencing since November last year due to non-operating streetlights, as well as burst sewerage pipes that are not being fixed.

Protesters started barricading roads leading out of Vleifontein early on Monday morning, using stones and all sorts of rubble. Some of these obstacles were set alight in an effort to prevent motorists from passing. Hundreds of commuters were left stranded and many workers did not report for work, because of the barricaded roads. Shops in the area were closed for most of the morning and the roads around the area, leading from Elim to Bandelierkop and Nthabalala, were blocked too. Angry members of the community even broke down a bus stop shelter and placed it in the road.

The protesters prevented some pupils from going to school, because there was no transport. Some of them were forced to walk many kilometres to and from school. A large number of schools in the area opted to rather close and sent the children back home.

When Limpopo Mirror visited the municipal offices, protesters were blocking the entrance, refusing to let anyone inside. The Makhado police were monitoring the situation.

The chairperson of Sanco’s Vleifontein branch, Mr Vincent Mahladise, told Limpopo Mirror that they were demanding answers from the mayor, Cllr Samuel Munyai. “We need answers in black and white. If you fail to commit yourself, you will face the full might of Sanco,” he threatened, and explained that the community had decided to embark on a protest march after realising that the challenges they were facing, were not being addressed by the municipality. “False promises are being made to us without implementation of the promised projects or services,” he said.

He pointed out that the municipality belonged to the people at grassroots level. “We are not going to fold our arms while things are not moving. Service delivery remains the core business of local government, coupled with addressing the concerns of communities in order to avoid protest marches like this,” he said.

Mahladise said that they do not need permission to stage a protest march to highlight the plight of the community. “We tried to engage with our two ward councillors, Cllr Dorah Mukwevho and Cllr Nndwamato Malivha, but they don’t want to hear our complaints.”

The chairperson of the Vleifontein Task Force, Mr Siwy Sivhugwana said that the mayor had to see how the matter could be resolved, before the community acted. “We are tired of empty promises from the Makhado Municipality. We need our people to get services like other villages under the municipality, where residents pay for water and electricity,” he said.

He insisted that their demands should be addressed “in order to avoid protest marches, until our demands are taken seriously”, and threatened that if the municipality did not commit itself, it “will face the full might of all residents”.

Makhado Municipality’s spokesperson, Louis Bobodi, said that residents must first report their grievances to the ward councillors, who will then report it to the mayor. The mayor will meet with the residents on 9 March at Vleifontein.

News - Date: 04 March 2021

Kaizer Nengovhela

Kaizer Nengovhela started writing stories for Limpopo Mirror in 2000. Prior to that he had a five year stint at Phala-Phala FM as sports presenter. In 2005 Kaizer received an award from the province's premier as Best Sports Presenter. The same year he was also nominated as Best Sports Reporter by the Makhado Municipality. Kaizer was awarded the Mathatha Tsedu award in 2014.

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