TZANEEN – Two residents from Mokgolobotho village, outside Tzaneen, Madala Tshimbana and Miyelani Ramojela, took their service delivery frustrations to the highest level, embarking on a 26-day walk to Parliament in Cape Town to demand urgent action.

On Tuesday, June 3, the pair hand-delivered a memorandum outlining the ongoing struggles in their village, including lack of access to water, poor roads, failing infrastructure, electricity issues, and the long-awaited reopening of Tivumbeni College.

Tshimbana began the journey alone on April 29, walking on behalf of residents from Mokgoloboto, Dan, and surrounding communities.

He said he was motivated by the continued cries of his community and felt compelled to take the issue directly to national leaders, believing they would take it more seriously than local officials.

“We have been fighting for better services for years now. We’ve tried to address these issues with our local municipality, but we did not get any answers,” said Tshimbana. “After our last protest this year, I decided that I have to take this step to see if we will have a different response. I am so excited that I have accomplished something that will not only benefit me, but the communities which are struggling.”

The journey was far from easy. Along the way, they often had no choice but to sleep at tollgates, garages, or police stations, as they could not afford accommodation.

On the third day, while still in Polokwane, Tshimbana was joined by Ramojela, who wanted to ensure his safe arrival.

“When I joined Tshimbana, I started to ask for donations. I was able to buy proper walking shoes with some of the money,” Ramojela added.

He said they received assistance from companies like Moya Aircon Solution, Zwing Zwing, Bushvalley and Peppadew.

Ramojela said that he wanted to accompany Tshimbana to ensure that he reaches his destination safely.

“I also work to help uplift the communities in my village, and was happy to join Tshimbana, not only to make sure he was safe, but also assist him in drafting the memorandum,” Ramojela said.

The two plan to host a community meeting where they will share the full details of their journey and any feedback received from Parliament.