Motorists are advised to avoid the 40 between Bushbuckridge (BBR) and Acornhoek due to the ongoing protest in the area. Residents of Arthurseat, Zoeknog and Matsikitsane villages have embarked on a service delivery protest and are blocking the road with tree branches, trucks and burning tyres. Most of the schools in the area were affected as learners and educators could not reach to their schools.

The community demand clean running water as they have been without it for some time and claim that municipal water tankers do not deliver regularly. They also demand a tarred road as the current one is in a hazardous condition. Due to the ongoing heavy rains, it had become dangerous to drive on. Some of the area’s ward councillors have also been accused of failing to follow proper protocols when introducing new projects into their communities, another issue the community is unhappy with.

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Protestors have promised that they will not stop protesting until MEC Mandla Ndlovu sorts out their road issues, claiming that Bushbuckridge Local Municipality (BLM) mayor, Cllr Sylvia Nxumalo, has failed to resolve their problems. Apparently the community members had written to Nxumalo several times, but she never responded or addressed any of their complaints.

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The acting spokesperson for Ndlovu’s department, Rodney Madalane, said they would investigate the matter and revert back to Lowvelder. However at time of going online he had not provided any feedback of this investigation.

The spokesperson for BLM, Fhumulani Thovhakale, said they were aware of the protest.