Hhoyi councillor changes the game in Nkomazi

Mafia Fane surprised many people when he beat the odds and made history by leading the EFF to victory in an ANC stronghold in October.

Nkomazi as a whole was known to have strong ANC roots, but that was until ‘Umfana Wes’timela’, as Fane was nicknamed, changed the game.

It all began when he returned home from university and noticed the plights of the people of Nkomazi, especially his home village, KaHhoyi in Ward 11. Fane said he could not believe that people were suffering with the same challenges he had experienced growing up, yet there was a political party that had sworn to change their living conditions, but instead, things worsened under the ANC government.

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“I grew up in a village where we did not have water, we did not have proper roads and basic service delivery was next to non-existent. It is unbelievable that even today we are experiencing the same challenges. After travelling around the country in search of education during my varsity days, I found my political home, the EFF. Being active in student politics made me look at things differently. I realised that the power is within the people. If we come together in one voice and with one vision, we can definitely achieve more,” said Fane.

He received his nickname when he mobilised community members to stage a protest against Transnet to get them involved in helping to aid the village since their trains pass through it.

“We came together with a few young people to check what other ways could be available to us in order to ensure growth and development in the village. We realised that Transnet is literally part of us since their trains pass here almost every day. We then decided to engage in conversation with them to work on a plan that would benefit us as a community. We wanted employment from them, we wanted them to utilise small local companies for contractual jobs, we wanted them to give back to the community. The meetings went well. We were reaching a common ground, until they started stalling. Just before we knew it, they had backtracked. That’s when we decided to do things the hard way,” said Fane.

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“We barricaded the railway line in the early hours of the morning. It was only a matter of hours until the executive from Transnet contacted us. Flights were immediately booked and they were here the following day to listen to our demands. We told them what we wanted, they delivered and life went on. Eight people were employed by Transnet as a result of that protest. It was not permanent employment, but they were able to feed their families. The company further donated 1 000 food parcels to the community, 3 000 sanitary towels to schools, and subcontracted local companies for local jobs. Most of our elderly people have always believed that only the ANC can liberate them from poverty, just because it was at the forefront during the apartheid time. Seeing a young man orchestrate so much change while in EFF regalia has changed their perspective, and we know that soon it will be the elderly getting things in Nkomazi.”

Fane said this is the beginning of an era for Nkomazi, and Ward 11 is in for a treat.

“We are working really hard to make people understand their power. Nothing belongs to the ANC, it is the people that own everything. The sooner the people know that, the sooner they will realise their freedom. The elderly took a risk and believed in us, in return we had to make it worth their while. Every month we have a taxi that collects them from their homes to go and collect their grants, and drops them off back at home. We have also adopted 20 families that we supply with groceries every month. We plan to install street lights very soon, and we will build a quality road for the people of Ward 11, even if it means doing it outside government. Libraries will be built, and bus shelters with free Wi-Fi are also part of our plans.”

Being the youngest and only EFF councillor in the Nkomazi Local Municipality at only 27 years old, Fane said resistance from ANC members is an everyday thing for him whenever he is in council.

“What people see in the news on national level is pretty much what I go through as well. The resistance is a lot, however, it gives me a thick skin. Sometimes it’s difficult to get help even from municipal officials, and they tell you that there’s a political instruction from the top brass that Ward 11 must not be given priority on anything. We could be in need of a water tank or a grader, and one would have to struggle and fight before getting the help we need, but it’s all understandable. We will win the hearts of the people through hard work and transparency – the struggle will not last for long,” he said.