Deplorable state of affairs in municipality makes national news
A recent article published by a national multi-platform media outlet, Eyewitness News (EWN), had residents hot under the collar.
A comprehensive list of issues and problems in Thaba Chweu Local Municipality (TCLM) was raised and went viral on social media. The comment by John Ozzah Gwebu on EWN’s Facebook page echoed the majority of opinions: “We have a duty on November 1 to change this nonsense we hear. But those who are on the payroll will differ from me. I know. Because they want to protect the cookie jar”. EWN “hit the nail on the head,” said another social media user on DA councillor, Comfort Sibiya’s Facebook page.
The headline of the article “Thaba Chweu Municipality, a nightmare for business and residents”, urged Spiros Couvaras, DA councillor, to respond. “It is quite ironic that we discussed all the issues raised in the EWN article on Tuesday October 12 during the Integrated Development Plan (IDP) meeting,” said Couvaras.
The purpose of the (IDP) is to give the residents an overview of projects planned for the next five years. “None of the budgets portrayed are feasible. A lot of the funds are made available from grants by the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA) and the Mpumalanga Provincial Treasury in Mbombela. A huge point of contention for residents is the now infamous Lydenburg Waste Water Treatment Works (WWTW) just outside Lydenburg on the R37 towards Burgersfort. It has not been fully operational for the past four years,” said Couvaras. According to the IDP report, TCLM’s main priority is the sewerage system. Couvaras reiterated that no upgrades have been made, even though R12m has been set aside to do so. The sewerage plant has been vandalised because there is no security. The smaller pump stations throughout Mashishing and Lydenburg are not working and raw waste is flowing into the Dorps and Spekboom rivers.
Steelburger/Lydenburg News published an article about the raw sewerage flowing into these rivers on Thursday October 7. George Viljoen, of the Kellysville Community Forum, accompanied the newspaper to a blocked manhole in Kellysville. “All the issues raised in the article published by EWN are factually correct. It shows the lack of comprehension and the lack of understanding of how this affects the business sector and the tourism industry in town.
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“Major businesses and companies like Glencore Lydenburg Smelter have stopped operations. The head offices of other companies have relocated because of the deplorable service delivery in TCLM. However, the businesses that have local branches still assist the town at times of crisis because they have the technical knowledge. A recent example is repairing the waterworks on the corner of Morgan and Preller streets. The variable speed drives that were installed in the refurbishment of the waterworks were incorrectly fitted and commissioned. This left the majority of the town without water for days,” said Couvaras.
fl ows through Kudu Ranch and towards Burgersfort. It is used for irrigation by farmers and is a daily water source for residents. The sewerage is flowing into the Drops and Spekboom rivers near Kellysville.
Local lawyer, Yvette Labuschagne, from Yvette Labuschagne Attorneys and Conveyancers, handed in a 40-page report to the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) in Mbombela on Wednesday September 29. The report lists infringements and evidence of poor basic service delivery. In the EWN article, the executive mayor of TCLM, Friddah Nkadimeng, implored residents to pay their bills to enable the municipality to do its work.
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Couvaras confirmed that the financials of TCLM reveal that 98,6% of new revenue was collected through rates and service charges in the past year and non-payment of bills is not the biggest issue in not delivering basic services. One of the successful projects is the patching of potholes and resurfacing of Voortrekker and De Beer streets. Themba Sibiya, communications manager of TCLM, Spiwe Matsi, municipal manager, and the office of the mayor was asked for comment about the raised issues on Monday October 18 and didn’t respond before going to print.
• The Blue Scorpions, a regulatory component within the Department of Water and Sanitation, and the Green Scorpions, Mpumalanga Department of Environmental Affairs, are in the process of completing criminal investigations against TCLM. The charges were opened in terms of the National Environmental Management Act (NEMA) of 2008 and related environmental legislation. (Steelburger/ Lydenburg News, Thursday April 29).
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