‘ANC forgot about us’
Several residents of Muyexe outside the poverty stricken area of Giyani in Limpopo have labelled President Jacob Zuma as a "liar" after he allegedly failed to change their lives for the better.
LIMPOPO – Soon after he became state president in 2009, Zuma visited the far-flung impoverished village of Muyexe outside the drought declared town of Giyani in Limpopo. Located at the foot of the Kruger National Park, Muyexe was cut off in terms of government services seven years ago.
At the time, life was still primitive in the village where donkeys were still used as the main mode of transport, firewood was used for cooking, and candles were used as the only source of light.
During the visit, Zuma identified the area as the nodal point of development where government should be entrusted to unleash optimum resources for development. Zuma promised the destitute villagers a state-of-the-art tar road, clean running water, health and school facilities, jobs and electricity.
“We knew it was a fallacy to trust a politician because they always have ulterior motives but the president must know, we are “once bitten twice shy,” one of the disgruntled villagers, Betty Chauke, told CV.
Another disgruntled woman, Agnes Mathebula, said women were the hardest hit by the problems facing the village. She said many of them are raped while en route to fetch water at communal taps at night. “But in spite of all these shortcomings, we still love u Msholozi and we will vote for the ANC,” she said.
Brilliant Rabele, another resident, said the village is faced with a total collapse of services. “Most educated young people relocate to urban areas such as Polokwane, Tzaneen or Pretoria in search of better lives and opportunities,” she explained.
Village Headman, Simon Maluleke, said about 16 boreholes were drilled but only nine of them are functional and they supply very little water .
Last year, a government emergency intervention by Minister Nomvula Mokonyane committed R2 billion to fast-track water supply in the dry lands of Giyani and surrounding villages. A pipeline from Nandoni Dam in the Vhembe region was to be installed in the area to supply water to areas oaround Giyani, Muyexe included.
Acting CEO of Lepelle Northern Water, Phineas Legodi, told CV the emergency project to reticulate water to Muyexe was at an advanced stage. “The purification plant to supply more water is complete and the the waste water treatment plant, which was initially spilling into the river, has also been completed. Over 145 of the 155 villages already receive water from the boreholes drilled by Khato Civils. We believe the water challenges Giyani and Muyexe are facing will soon be a thing of the past,” he said.
The EFF, however, said the people must vote for them to see change.
“Zuma is a liar and has been lying to the people for seven years. However, his wayward electioneering campaign can be stopped if people vote in favour of the EFF on 3 August,” said EFF Provincial Secretary, Jossey Buthane.
The Limpopo Provincial Government shielded Zuma, saying R200 million had been spent in the area on job creation projects in 2009. Limpopo Government Spokesperson, Phuti Seloba, said some of the projects currently in operation included a satellite police station, health centre, post office, recreational centre and a greening project. Seloba further said a total of 383 RDP houses and 422 VIP toilets were built and allocated between 2009 and 2016.
“While we agree that supplying water is still a challenge, government was able to supply 826 water tanks to poor households in Muyexe in an effort to help harvest water during rainfall. A service provider has been appointed to construct a 6 km tar road at the tune of R20 million and a pipeline supplying water from Ntsami Dam to Muyexe is underway,” Seloba explained.
