Lydenburg lawyer spearheads petition against service delivery issues at municipality
Following a week of violent protests a decisive effort is being made to take over service delivery in Thaba Chweu Local Municipality (TCLM). Local attorney, Yvette Labuschagne, asked residents to sign a petition before Sunday. She said it was of utmost importance for residents, business owners and the whole community to take part. The request …
Following a week of violent protests a decisive effort is being made to take over service delivery in Thaba Chweu Local Municipality (TCLM).
Local attorney, Yvette Labuschagne, asked residents to sign a petition before Sunday. She said it was of utmost importance for residents, business owners and the whole community to take part.
The request reads as follows:
“Dear resident, I am a local attorney in Lydenburg representing several residents, property owners and businesses. We are bringing a court application against the Mpumalanga Provincial Government to intervene at our local municipality by taking over basic service delivery, including the problematic Eskom debt that cannot be settled. We must show the court that we have local support. Should you wish to add your name or your business name to our efforts, kindly send your full names, ID number, residential address or business address and contact number to yvette@ylprop.co.za before Sunday 14 March 2021. You will not be held liable for legal costs as thankfully we received donations in this regard.”
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In November, Labuschagne served a formal Request for Intervention in terms of Section 139(1) of the Constitution on the provincial government, to intervene at TCLM by taking over basic service delivery and settling the Eskom debt. Early in December, the provincial Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) replied that it would obtain reports from the municipality. After several attempts in January to further the issue, another 30 days were allocated for feedback from Cogta.
“On Monday a final request was sent to Cogta with footage of the protest raging in Lydenburg. Regrettably, they replied that we must consult with the local municipality. We were hopeful that we would be able to reach some sort of agreement with the provincial government concerning the poor service delivery and financial mismanagement at TCLM. Our efforts to find solutions out of court were unsuccessful. Therefore, the only way forward is a court application requesting an order to compel provincial government to fulfil their constitutional duty towards the residents,” said Labuschagne.
