‘ANC-led maruleng ignores Bismark’

Protesters allege that they are excluded from services because they voted for an independent ward councillor and are now ignored by the ANC-led MLM. Lawrence Malale, a resident of Bismark, told the Herald an internal road project for Bismark was included in the IDP for the 2021/2022 financial year. It covered a R7.4m budget of a R20m total budget to construct an internal road and was supposed to be allocated in the 2022/2023 financial year for the project to start.

However, in the 2022/2023 final IDP, the amount of R7.4m was changed to R1m indicating the design of the road. He said after inquiring, the ward councillor was informed that there could not be two projects in the same ward at the same time. A year later, in the 2023/2024 draft IDP, the proposed road was again not reflected.

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During IDP consultations with the communities in May 2023, Maruleng’s mayor apparently apologised for the oversight, and, according to Malale, promised the community that it would be added. “In the final IDP for 2023/2024 which was tabled in council, the Bismark internal road did not reflect at all. “Instead, there was the inclusion of a Bismark access road that connects to Metz with R200 000 allocated for designs and a further R1.5m in the 2024/2025 financial year. “Again, the councillor raised the matter in council, but because of the ANC majority, his submission was suppressed,” he added.

In another matter also in Bismark, Marie Helm, DA political head for Maruleng, said that the Mopani District Municipality (MDM, is incompetent and cannot provide water to rural communities. Helm said this is a blatant violation of Section 27 of the Constitution which guarantees the right to sufficient water. “It is astounding that a district municipality with a budget of more than R2 billion is incapable of fixing and securing a borehole pump.”

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“The lack of regular access to water in Bismark is a longstanding issue and MDM’s recurring hollow promise to restore access to water has left the community desperate,” she said. She added that the South African Human Rights Commission found MDM in violation of Section 27 in their October 2023 report and recommended that MDM immediately implement the compulsory standard of 25 liters of water per person daily.

Herald contacted Justice Shipalana, spokesperson for MLM, on the allegations. He said the allegations by the Bismark community are not true. “The municipality has prioritised the project in 2023/2024 financial year for the design phase of the project. “The consultant was appointed in December 2023. They are currently working on the designs for the internal road of which the inception and preliminary design reports have been submitted,” he said.

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“We also want to make it categorically clear that as a municipality, we provide services to all citizens regardless of their political affiliation. “The issue of us not providing services due to an independent councillor is neither here nor there. Public Works, Roads and Infrastructure has also completed the designs for a bridge and road in the same village,” concluded Shipalana.