Residents raise all their concerns to mayors for answers

MOKOPANE – THE Waterberg District Executive Mayor, Tlotlanang Mogotlane and the Mayor of Mogalakwena, Malesela Parks Sebatjane, met with more than 900 people predominantly from the Rebone cluster last Friday during the Waterberg District Mayoral Imbizo at Segole sports ground in ward 5.

The Local Government: Municipal Systems Act No 32 of 2000 calls for municipalities to encourage and create conditions for the local community to participate in the affairs of the municipality. In adherence to this Act, the Waterberg District Municipality (WDM), in conjunction with the Mogalakwena Municipality, hosted the Waterberg District Mayoral Imbizo.

The public representatives led by the Mogotlane, Sebatjane, members of the mayoral committee, executive council and the councillors were reaching out and interacting with communities to identify the service delivery needs. The imbizo afforded members of the community the opportunity to interact with them on all service delivery issues affecting them.

“This is one of the mechanisms that the WDM has adopted in ensuring that we regularly take government to the people, to cement the culture of accountability by public representatives,” read a media statement by the Mogalakwena Municipality.

Concerns raised during the imbizo by members or the community included: the construction of the community hall and the stadium, provision of learner transport, provision of home affairs, police and social security mobile vehicles fortnightly, internships and leanerships, the understaffed Segole Clinic that runs 24 hours a day, electricity in the new extensions, installation of digital electricity boxes, tarring of the D3561 road which is from N11, connection of high mast light which was since installed in 2013 and water in the new extensions as the community currently is fetching water from the river.

Some of the community members complimented the government for providing RDP houses and sanitation in their respective villages and further acknowledged that the municipal water tanker trucks delivers water when there were funerals.

In his response, Sebatjane highlighted that while the district and Mogalakwena Municipality have a good story to tell regarding completed projects, there are still challenges in some areas that cannot be addressed within the wink of an eye. “We are aware of the problem of high mast light connection and hopefully in no time that will be a thing of the past. I will be meeting with Dikgabane Rampedi (from Eskom) to sort out most of the electrical challenges we are facing in this municipality and I will present the request for installation of digital electricity boxes,” Sebatjane said.

“As for water challenges, mostly in the new stands, a permanent solution will be reached after the completion of the Olifants River project, which will hopefully be completed around 2019. The D3561 road is receiving much attention and it is on the top of the list in this cluster,” Sebatjane added.

On the allocation of RDP houses all ward councillors will get a database of people who deserve these houses within our municipality and present that to the Department of Cooperative Governance, Human Settlements and Traditional Affairs. Mogotlane promised that the district, in conjunction with the local municipality, will address most of the challenges raised through the support of the provincial government.

Mogotlane emphasised that they will do their best to ensure that the community of Segole receives services as close to home as possible.

“The D3561 road is receiving urgent intervention and hopefully around December the project might start. The statistics of HIV/aids and drug abuse is extremely high in our district. We appeal to everyone of you to refrain from using drugs as its killing our society. Any other challenges you have raised that are not our competency will be presented to the relevant departments like scholar transport and others,” Mogotlane concluded.