Taking to Facebook after the Greater Giyani Municipality (GGM) published pictures of construction of a culvert bridge in their area on its Facebook page, many commented that it was a strategy to get votes.  Eric Makondo, an executive member of the GGM, defended the municipality saying it takes time for municipal or government projects to be approved.

“It first gets to the plan, is budgeted for, and gets to the designed stage before being implemented. It is not true that projects are done because of elections,” he said. In response, people questioned why the project was only prioritised now that the elections were close. “If this was not done to win votes, why was the execution of the work pushed close to the elections?” asked one of the commentators on Facebook, Sjavha Khalanga.

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“We know how IDP works; the soccer stadium between 14A and 14B exceeded the IDP standard length of five years, but is still not operating. How do you explain that?” he asked. Some argued that the ANC-led government purposefully withheld services to influence votes by implementing what should have been implemented a long time ago during election time. “Withholding service delivery for campaign purposes should be rendered a criminal offence,” commented Oankie Ndhavezitha Jan  Mazithani.

However, despite being sceptical about the municipality’s true intention, some welcomed the construction of the culvert bridge, saying it would be an important asset for the village. “I wish we could stay in the election state all the time; we probably would have better service,” commented Fannie Macgoxa. According to GGM’s spokesperson, Steve Mavunda, the project’s duration is two months; therefore, the anticipated completion date is May 10.

“There are four similar constructions of culvert bridges in villages in Giyani such as Guwela, Silawa, Mapayeni, and Vuhehli,” he said. “This is part of our effort to improve access to facilities that are most frequented by communities, such as schools, clinics, graveyards, and other important places that are crucial to communities,” he said.