On Wednesday September 13 the two communities formed a coalition and marched to the municipality’s offices to deliver a memorandum of grievances.
TCLM executive mayor Cllr Selina Mashego-Sekgobela, supported by members of the council, signed the memorandum. It was given three working days to answer.
The protesters demanded clarity on the RDP processes, the land invasion, smart prepaid meter boxes from China, the Mashishing Community Residence Units, and the
R400 million Duma substation, situated about 10 kilometres outside town on the Roossenekal Road.
According to local EFF councillor, Exodus Maloka, the situation worsened when the municipality deployed the municipal manager to liaise with them. “How can a newly appointed municipal manager, who has only 100 days plus in the office, address issues that he is clueless about?”
Angry protesters told Steelburger/Lydenburg News that since they moved to the area in 1971, the municipality has never done anything for them. They felt rejected.
Meanwhile, the Mashishing community continued their protest on Monday September 11, after an announcement on the local radio station informing the community that the executive mayor will be live on-air, discussing the issues that affect the community as a whole.
The announcement also declared that three public meetings were called in Mashishing, though none of the municipal officials
showed up.
On Tuesday Mashishing residents closed off all access roads, the Frischgewaagd Road and Voortrekker Street from Extension 2 into Mashishing with burning tires, trees and rocks.
Seven other members of the community were arrested on the same night for public violence after an alleged taxi was set alight on the Frischgewaagd Road.
They alleged that municipal officials sell houses to people who do not qualify for RDP houses.
The protesters also wanted answers from Mashego-Sekgobela concerning this.
A contract was apparently signed on March 6, 2016, between a Chinese company, China Sinogy Electric Engineering Co, TCLM and the National Treasury, for the construction of the substation.
Furthermore, some residents claim they have been living in their parents’ backyards for years, while some applied for houses and never received them.
On August 30 the Kellysville community blocked the main entrance to the township after TCLM demolished one of their community businessowner’s property (a brickyard) and two other shacks in the same area for illegal land occupation.
It is alleged that two people, a Kellysville community member and a TCLM TLB operator, were injured during a fight over the above-mentioned property.
Four other members appeared in the Lydenburg Magistrate’s Court on Friday September 8, after being arrested for malicious damage to the property of
Cllr Marcus Mashego.
Two were released, while the other two were released on R3 000 bail each.
