LIMPOPO – THE Vuwani branch of the ANC Youth League (ANCYL) and the Vuwani Demarcation Task Team (VDTT) recently joined hands in the fight to get a new municipality, and blamed the pro-Makhado Municipality group for allowing tribalism to be a factor.
Pataka Teane, a member of the ANCYL in Vuwani, said the reason they needed a new municipality was because the Makhado Municipality was overloaded and unable to develop the villages around Vuwani. He said the new municipality would also solve the unemployment problem in the area. “If the Municipal Demarcation Board (MDB) grants us a new municipality, we believe that a lot of youth are going to get job opportunities. Each and every municipality has its own budget and can also give bursaries to young people to go to school. There are a lot of young people who passed gr. 12, but can’t continue their studies because of a lack of funds,” Teane said.
He said if they were not granted their own municipality instead of having to share a new one with Malamulele, the MDB Chairperson, Jane Thupana, should give valid reasons for this. “They must come with a solution. People are suffering, residents of Malonga spend an hour to go to Vuwani town because of the bad road conditions. There being no water in our area is also a problem,” Teane continued.
“Elim is developing quickly. There are banks and people working there but it is a new town. Vuwani is an old town but still the same as it ever was with no water, no banks and no other infrastructure.”
Spokesperson for the VDTT, Calvin Mathebula, said misunderstandings would not get people anywhere. “We have to engage each other to find a common solution to our problem and after fighting we have to move forward as a unit; we need each other. We will dedicate ourselves to consistently recognise and acknowledge the exceptional performance of the Makhado Municipality despite its failure to develop Vuwani because of the vastness of the area it serves. Budget allocation to the proposed new municipality will focus on the improvement and development of two towns, which is Vuwani and Malamulele,” Mathebula said.
A senior traditional leader, Thovhele Nthumeni Masia, said his traditional authority supported young people in calling for action towards job creation. “It is unfortunate that those who hold the view that the new municipality will create jobs and significant economic activities have failed to prove this point in black and white,” he said.
