The march was organised by the Ba-Phalaborwa Concerned Community Members, a community social justice group, with the aim to oust the mayor of the Ba-Phalaborwa Municipality, Merriam Malatji. They accuse her of corruption and misusing her power. The crowd started marching from the Phalaborwa bus stop where they sang struggle songs. One of the songs, ‘Phalaborwa ayi buye’, asked for Phalaborwa to return to its former glory.
Chairperson of the group, Edwin Malatji, read the memorandum out aloud and handed it to Dr. Masilo Mokoena, a representative from the MEC’s Office of Cooperative Governance, Human Settlement and Traditional Affairs (COGSTHA), Basikopo Makamu. Some of their demands are that municipal workers must be paid overtime to attend to after-hours problems such as sewage, water, and other technical services.
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They also demand to know exactly what the municipal budget is being spent on, as according to them, they do not see any service delivery. They believe that Palabora Mining Company (PMC) is doing the job that the municipality should be doing, considering the work that the mine is doing in the area. They gave COGSTHA seven working days to respond to their demands.
Mokoena acknowledged receipt of the memorandum and also promised to hand it over to the MEC. As Masilo signed the memorandum, the crowd chanted ‘siyana twela asi morabaraba’, meaning ‘it is not a game, sign that thing’. About a thousand people participated in the march, and most of them were transported to the CBD by buses and taxis sponsored by local taxi associations.
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Edwin thanked the marchers and stakeholders, including the taxi associations, for their support. The Herald reached out to Hitekani Magwedza, spokesperson for COGSTHA for comment, but he could not be reached at the time of going to press. Magwedza’s comment will be published in full once it is received. The Herald will update readers on the story as it progresses.
