LIMPOPO – “IS it not our right to have running water or electricity, why are we not treated like the formal settlement we are?”
This was the question raised by residents of Mzombane village last Thursday when Bosveld visited the community upon invitation.
Mzombane village is situated about 11km outside of Mokopane and is home to more than 3 000 households, of which none has electricity.
Bosveld was given a tour of the village to show that it was not an informal settlement, there were a variety of houses, including double-storey houses. The sound of generators filled the air as this was the only means of electricity supply they had.
“To keep these generators running is very expensive, but what other choice do we have? It’s either the costly generator or the struggle of candles in the evening,” one of the residents said.
Mzombane community leaders tried numerous times to hand-over a memorandum with their concerns to chief Lesiba Kekana.
On June 19, another lawful attempt was unsuccessful and the frustrated residents took the law into their own hands and blocked the N11 road with rocks and burning tyres.
The Mahwelereng police arrested five Mzombane residents for malicious damage to property. However, the community opposed the arrest at the police station, which led to the arrest of 101 residents for public violence.
The five residents who were arrested appeared before the Mokerong magistrate’s court in Mahwelereng last Friday and the case was postponed to August 11 for further investigation.
Hellen Khoza, vice chairperson of the Mzombane village committee, told Bosveld: “we are growing tired of the fact that after 11 years of pleading for basic service delivery, which is our right, nothing has changed. We have asked numerous times for help from different people, we have tried to hand-over a memorandum to chief Kekana, but our pleas fall on deaf ears”.
The Mzombane village committee met with the of Mogalakwena mayor, Parks Sebatjane on July 13, where they discussed the following concerns: provision of water and electricity, the relationship with the tribal authority and the 106 residents of Mzombane who were arrested on June 19.
Khoza said: ”we are very grateful that mayor Sebatjane took the time to listen to our concerns and we pray that he will be able to improve our situation”.
Matsobane Masenya, chairperson of the Mzombane committee, told Bosveld: “Mzombane village is a formal settlement and we have a lease agreement between the IEC and chief Kekana that proves it. The government recognised us as a formal settlement, they even set-up a tent in Mzombane so that the residents could vote.
“What is the real reason we are denied service delivery?”
It was made clear by the committee leaders and the residents that if government proceeded to undermine the community “the upcoming elections would be affected”.
Chief Lesiba Kekana could not be reached for comment by the time Bosveld went to print.
