Vele inaugurated as chief

LIMPOPO – AFTER a long court battle by King Makhado’s descandants for the Kutama throne, Vele Prince Kutama was inaugurated as the new traditional leader of the Kutama community near Louis Trichardt on Saturday.

Prince (50) succeeds his brother, Peter, who died in 2011.

The MEC for cooperative governance, human settlements and traditional affairs, Makoma Makhurupetje, said a huge task laid ahead for Kutama, especially in assisting government to provide services to the community he led.

“We know that this community, according to the study conducted by Statistics SA (Census 2011), has no adequate access to sanitation facilities, and that only 155 of the households have flush toilets connected to sewerage systems, while 655 have access to pit latrines with ventilation and 5 071 households have access to pit toilets without ventilation with 22 households having access to chemical toilets,” said Makhurupetje.

“We also know that water provided to Kutama cluster is currently sourced from boreholes with plans to supplement from the Nandoni Dam. Consumption of water in this area shows that the population water requirements exceed the current groundwater supply and planned future supply from Nandoni Dam. Government is aware that there are households who still share water with animals from the dams and river streams, with some making use of water tankers.

“Like the rest of the country, this area is faced with the high number of unemployment, as a result of lack of skills and the level of education among the people, while others are just discouraged to look for work. About 16 807 households stay in houses that are below RDP standard, and because of the growing provincial demand for housing, the current housing allocations are insufficient to meet set targets. As the department responsible for the provision of RDP houses in the province we will ensure this area gets its fair share of housing allocations.”

Makhurupetje said they were impressed by the fact that most of the villages in Kutama were electrified, with a small percentage still making use of paraffin and candles.

“We hope that the Makhado Municipality will prioritise this so that they too can enjoy the spoils of freedom,” she said.

She said they expected Kutama to participate fully in the direction of municipalities and work with progressive forces to defeate the triple challenges of poverty, inequality and underdevelopment.

“We want to see this community take part in their own development by being the active participants in their socio economic developments. As the leader, he should form a strong bond with his people and be the conveyor belt of their wishes. Government is still faced with the problem of many royal families fighting over who should be the heir to the throne. This is putting a dent on the institution itself. It also creates a sense of uncertainty and lack of trust in many royal families in the province where we see a brother fighting brother. We call on all to stop this before it renders the institution of traditional leadership extinct,” said Makhurupetje.