POLOKWANE – Disgruntled residents from Polokwane Ext 29, Mahlasedi Park Phase 1 and 2, Lesedi Park, Mahlako, and Phala including Rethabile Gardens marched to the Polokwane Municipality’s offices last Tuesday demanding quality service delivery.
They also handed over a memorandum in which their grievances were stated, and they demanded that they be addressed within seven days.
At the top of their list was the sewage problem they are experiencing, with an unbearable smell constantly permeating the air, leading to concerns for their health. “The municipality must make sure that the smell is addressed while working on finding a permanent solution on the matter,” resident committee chairperson Khutso Ledwaba said, adding that they had been trying to engage the municipality on the matter but nothing had been done so far.
Another demand was that the municipality allocate land for recreational facilities, as well as a school, so that their children no longer needed to travel long distances for education or entertainment purposes.
The residents further accused the municipality of neglecting the maintenance of the roads and streets in the area including storm water drainage. “We are also demanding that there must be streetlights erected between Mahlasedi Park Phase 2 and the traffic lights leading into Legae la Batho as the area is dark in the evening and harbours criminals,” Ledwaba explained.
“If the municipality does not respond to our demands in time, we will be left with no choice but to come back in large numbers and they will see that we mean business,” he said as he handed the memorandum over to councillor Mariri Ralefatene who accepted it on behalf of mayor Freddy Greaver.
“We are aware that there are some problems in the area and as a municipality it is our duty to resolve them, and we are working on that,” Ralefatene said.
