‘Mayor failed to deliver’ on promises made says Westenburg community
Residents are also frustrated because they feel the municipality "is forcing" them to install prepaid water and electricity meters, which they claim they cannot afford.
POLOKWANE – The Westenburg Community Development Forum (WDF), representing the Westenburg community, claims that the Polokwane Mayor, Thembi Nkadimeng, has failed to deliver on the promises she made.
Nkadimeng met with Westenburg residents on 30 July, following service delivery protests by the community who are fed-up with the lack of service delivery in Westenburg and the municipality’s empty promises.
Read more: [WATCH] Live scenes from the Westenburg protest
Residents blocked off Ben Harris Street in Westenburg and the Matlala road along Westenburg with rocks and burning tyres, refusing to let anyone in or out of Westenburg.
A memorandum with 25 demands was handed to the mayor, and since the meeting more than a month ago, none of the mayor’s promises had materialised, according to the forum.
You might also want to read: [WATCH] Westenburg residents get a word with the mayor
One of the demands in the memorandum related to land claims in Ext 40, along the Matlala road.
Residents met with the Ext 40 Steering Committee to add their names to the list of eligible claimants who had lost their land and property after they were forcefully moved from Ext 40 in Disteneng (New Pietersburg). Residents could not add their names as there were already beneficiaries for the earmarked land, they were told by the committee.
The forum approached the Department of Cooperate Governance Human Settlements and Traditional Affairs (CoGHSTA) for answers. They met with representatives from CoGHSTA and the Office of the Polokwane Mayor on 23 August.
During this meeting, the forum was told that the land was donated to the department and therefore the municipality should give answers on any questions relating to claims on the land.
Ray Goulkan, WDF Chairperson, said the municipality in turn referred them back to the department.
“After being sent from pillar to post we still do not have answers. We will not rest until the land is given to the rightful owners, which are the people from the then New Pietersburg area. The people who were allocated to this land are not the rightful owners and they must go back to where they come from and claim that land. People were moved from Disteneng as it was to be developed into an industrial area, however it has been rezoned and is now being developed into a residential area. These people allocated to Ext 40 are from Disteneng, so they must go back to their area and claim that land,” Goulkan explained.
He also said the municipality does not consult with residents.
“The land Motor City is built on was land allocated to Nirvana residents with a low income. Without residents’ knowledge, the municipality sold the land and rezoned it into an industrial area. The same happened in Ext 40, as Westenburg residents were not consulted.”
Another pressing matter on the memorandum was the Westenburg swimming pool that is out of order. The WDF met with a delegation from the municipality on 7 September to assess the parks, swimming pool and sports grounds to identify what needs to be done to upgrade the facilities.
“After the assessment, we were told there is no budget for the sports grounds, and only enough money to fix either the Westenburg or Nirvana swimming pools.”
He said they don’t understand how municipal officials have been fixing the Westenburg pool for the last two years and it is still not open to the public.
“What did they do with last year’s money that was supposed to be used to fix the pool?” Goulkan asked. He added residents with indigenous accounts were promised that their accounts will be cleared, but this has not happened.
Goulkan furthermore said the mayor had not scheduled meetings between the forum and the Health and Social Development Departments for the building of a clinic and youth centre in Westenburg.
“Meanwhile we have several opportunities passing our youth and unemployed residents who want to learn skills that can help them create employment. We have people willing to give workshops to help our people with skills development in different fields and they also willing to give stipends while giving the workshop. But we do not have a facility where these people can train,” Goulkan said. The mayor also did not respond to residents’ request that fees for the community hall, which has become a white elephant to the community, be lowered.
Street lights are still not working.
“There is no plan in place for roads in the RDP section to be tarred, something these residents have been waiting for for 20 years. The municipality has taken on other projects in and around the city, forgetting Westenburg’s people,” Goulkan said.
Residents are also frustrated because they feel the municipality “is forcing” them to install prepaid water and electricity meters, which they claim they cannot afford.
Prepaid water and electricity, they claim, will be more expensive than the current account system.
“The water meters come with batteries that need to be replaced after a while because if it is flat you do not have water. This system is not feasible for our people,” Goulkan concluded. Despite several efforts for comment, Mayor Thembi Nkadimeng had not responded by the time of going to print.
