The mayor addressed the official opening of the Mopani Local House of Traditional Leaders in Mashishimale village on Friday, October 27. He said that despite all the efforts in the past 29 years of freedom and democracy, unemployment remained high, and poverty and inequality also remained a challenge, affecting the majority of rural communities. “The legacy of apartheid is still felt even today, especially in our rural communities.

The apartheid legacy dumped our people far away from economic hubs. “Together with this collective, we should intensify programmes around attracting investment to our rural communities,” he said. “It is only when we work together that we will have access to adequate land for farming, contribute to food security, and reduce poverty. “A functioning house of traditional leaders is a perfect platform to debate and plan together on how best we can take the struggles of our people forward,” Shayi told the assembly.

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He said that efforts to build integrated human settlements where people will reside closer to where they work can only be successful through the support of traditional leaders. Shayi further said that the municipality has recorded 100% spending on the municipal infrastructure grant, crediting this to the support from traditional leaders. He said that there are no disruptions to infrastructure projects in communities where traditional leaders are actively involved.

“We are implementing 38 water reticulation projects in the Greater Giyani Municipality (GGM) as part of the first phase of the Giyani Water Project, targeting 24 villages. “So far stoppages due to disputes have been minimal, and that is because of your leadership and guidance,” he said. He appealed to traditional leaders to assist the government in ensuring that spaza shop owners comply with regulations. He said communities should be vigilant when buying food, not only from spaza shops but also from well-known retail shops.