Selfless coucillor walks extra mile for community

Humanitarian and rainbow nation architect, Nelson Mandela, may be gone, but his servant leadership principles are being reawakened in Ikageng.
Butikie Mahlabe ward 26 councillor is the talk of the township in Ikageng Ext. 7 as community members describe him as hardworking, selfless and someone who walks the extra mile for them.
The happily married father and sole provider for 3 unemployed daughters, says he was pushed to become a councillor because people loved what he was doing for them as a volunteer.
“I grew up on a farm and a village and have experienced hardship and poverty. I volunteered to help people deal with their everyday hardships. I did not want to be a councillor; my love used to be selling women’s clothing, perfume and framed soccer photos of popular teams such as Orlando Pirates, Kaizer Chiefs and Moroka Swallows.
Mahlabe says he only studied until Gr. 8 as his education was disrupted by Apartheid’s cruel forced removal laws and had to fend for his family.
55-year-old Semandi Morei says she is happy with the work Mahlabe does for the community. She described him as compassionate, and one who listens to people’s problems and looks for solutions.

“Sometimes, we have burglaries and he come to us. He helps most of the community members with electricity. Even when a teenager misbehaves, he plays a disciplinarian role and talks to them to try and find out why they are misbehaving.”
Morei could not hide her admiration for Mahlabe and repeated the sentence, “o bereka tota” (He is a hardworking person).
She goes on to say that he helps his ward members from out of his own pocket when they are sick, attends funerals to offer condolences and help out with groceries and other needs, and negotiates with the mortuary owners to make sure that the deceased receive a decent burial, even the indigents.
“He sometimes wakes up in the middle of the night to attend to emergencies in the community. The other day a shack was burning in the informal settlement. Oom Stone was there to help put out the blaze”.
Morei thinks back to 2005 when she was staying in a shack.
“There were no clinics, toilets, water or streets. Children used to attend school far away from the place. Mahlabe is the one who assisted us in getting of all this. Some of the schools that were built under Councillor Mahlabe include Tshupane Primary School, Keotshepile Primary School and BA Seobi High School.”
BA Seobi recently produced the best Gr. 12 learner in Ikageng, Maletsatsi Misapitso. A hall was also built under him because people used to hold meetings outside under a tree.
“He has worked for us. Even children, who used to stay away from school, have now completed their education.”
“Even though it’s hard for him to perform his functions, he does walk the extra mile to help the community. He has also helped us get an ABET school. “I am going to school tomorrow,” says Morei proudly.

50-year-old Lenah Matlhapa who lives in a tiny shack in an informal settlement near Ext. 7 with six other family members says Mahlabe helps to provide food for them and helps out with funerals.
The informal settlement, which does not have electricity, is susceptible to shack fires and had no toilets before Mahlabe intervened. Mahlabe says it’s disgraceful for people to live without sanitation.
“Where are the women supposed to relieve themselves?” he asks. That is why he fought tooth and nail for the people residing in the informal settlement to have toilets erected for them.
Although Mahlabe assists the residents of the informal settlement and they are happy to be under him, Matlhapa says she would like RDP houses to be built for them.
39-year-old Dorah Sekile, who also stays in a shack, describes Mahlabe as a problem-solver who is always there for them when their shacks catch fire. She says the only service delivery they still need are are electricity and RDP houses.