Shutdown will continue ‘indefinitely’ until govt listens, vow Vuwani leaders

With all avenues having been exhausted, including court action, the only thing residents of Vuwani can do to force government to accede to their demands is to continue with the total shutdown of services protest action, according to spokesperson for the Pro-Makhado Demarcation Task Team Nsovo Sambo.

Residents have been demanding that the Municipal Demarcation Board (MDB) reverse a decision it took to merge Vuwani with Malamulele and other surrounding villages to form a new municipality.

Speaking to Saturday Citizen on Friday, Sambo said the shutdown will continue indefinitely and will be suspended momentarily, only on weekends, to allow residents to buy groceries and to conduct funeral services.

“We have exhausted all avenues, including going to court, and the only option we have now is to continue with the shutdown until government listens and takes seriously the demands of residents,” he said.

There was still a huge police presence in the area, with officers stationed at various shops, streets and filling stations.

On Thursday afternoon, while Police Minister Fikile Mbalula and his counterpart from the department of Corporate Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) Des van Rooyen were in the area, the leadership of the task team met, but the details of the meeting are still unknown.

Sambo said he was not at liberty to disclose the contents of the meeting.

The leadership from government also met with the local tribal leaders on Thursday afternoon, while another planned meeting with members of the community, which was scheduled for late on the same day, did not materialise.

Earlier this week, two people died after the vehicle they were travelling in crashed into a pipe which was used to barricade one of the roads, while a third occupant had to be rushed to hospital in a serious condition.

During last year’s protest action, more than 20 schools were either burnt or destroyed and towards the local government elections, many residents decided to participate in a local soccer tournament and as a result did not take part in the polls.

Not far from there, in Malamulele, in recent years residents also staged similar protest action, demanding a municipality of their own.

Several schools were also burnt there.

A couple of years ago, schooling was also disrupted in Kuruman in the Northern Cape where children were also barred from going to school for nearly four months.

Residents there were demanding that a 30 kilometre gravel road be tarred.

Several pupils were forced to repeat their grades.

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