Mafarafara residents plead for an access bridge
The people tie a rope to the trees at each end of the river, then get into the steel cart and cross by sliding to the other end.
The residents of Mafarafara outside Burgersfort are relying on a sewaiwai, a makeshift steel or wooden cart, to cross the overflowing Steelpoort River (Tubatse)
This unique form of transport is used by the elderly to visit the Taung Clinic and also by some pupils who attend schools in villages like Taung and Makwataseng.
The people tie a rope to the trees at each end of the river, then get into the steel cart and cross by sliding to the other end. The cart carries a maximum of four adults to cross the 150m-wide river. In addition, the villagers, many of whom are unemployed, have to pay R5 per trip to cross the water.
The residents said the sewaiwai has helped sick people to cross the river.
“We have no clinic at Mafarafara and the closest healthcare facility is Taung Clinic, but we have to risk our lives by crossing the flooded river to get there. Our alternative clinic is the one at Kgautšwana, but it is a bit far from our village,” said a resident.
The Tubatse River separates Mafarafara, and most local villages.
The residents requested the Fetakgomo Tubatse Local Municipality’s (FTLM) mayor, Eddie Maila, to ensure an access bridge is erected at the village.
“Scores of people are risking their lives using the sewaiwai, but they have no choice because the government is not providing a solution. We urge Maila and his team to consider our challenges and build a bridge for the Mafarafara people,” said a resident, Bernard Pako.
Their village is always ignored in terms of services. “There is no tar road, we have no water and services at our village are at a snail’s pace.”
Steelburger/Lydenburg News forwarded queries to the FTLM’s communications team to find out if there are plans to erect an access bridge at Mafarafara.
At the time of going to press the publication was yet to receive a response.
The sewaiwai is not new to the people of Fetakgomo Tubatse. This makeshift cart was previously used by some residents of Mankele to cross the Olifants River (Lepelle) before a bridge was constructed by the Limpopo government in 2012.
