Residents start project Vukuzenzele to repair ‘impassable’ roads themselves
The Thulamela Mayor Sarah Rammbuda said she appreciated what the community has done as the project will improve their lives.
LIMPOPO – Residents in Mukula-Mukondeni village are tired of waiting for the Thulamela Municipality to repair roads in their community.
According to the residents, it’s been years that they have waited for the municipality to gravel and upgrade roads and they recently started to collect money in an effort to repair the roads themselves.
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A community leader in Mukula-Mukondeni village, Ratshisevhe Rakhunwana, said the project they started is called, Vukuzenzele, which translates to “get up and do it yourself”.
“We collected money from residents in the area to buy what was needed for the project.”
He explained that in 2021, they sent several letters to the Thulamela Municipality for the roads to be re-gravelled and in the letter, they explained that an excavator would be needed for the work to be done given the difficulty to remove rocks. Nothing came of their letters, he said.
“The roads are in such a state that our vehicles get damaged and during funeral services, we have to carry the coffins from the main road at Mukula-Tshilamba to the graveyard, as the road is simply impassable.”
According to Rakhunwana, the upgrading of Tshinaubve Street will help to link Mukula-Mukondeni and Tshidimbini villages and reduce some of the damage done to vehicles.
“We decided that each person can contribute the amount he or she can afford. With the money, we were able to hire and get the service of an excavator, which helped us get rid of the rocks,” explained Rakhunwana.
He said the community works well together, as those who are at home during the day, came out to assist with the road repairs manually. “We are happy that we are doing things ourselves as the municipality sends us from pillar to post.”
Thulamela Mayor Sarah Rammbuda said she appreciated what the community of Mukula-Mukondeni village has done.
“As Thulamela Municipality, we have 41 wards which need our attention in building roads, supplying electricity and water, and we cannot do it at one given time. We have a backlog in terms of delivering services, but we are working tirelessly to ensure that we get basic services to the various communities we serve. We applaud communities where they take initiatives like Vukuzenzele, as this makes a difference in bettering their lives,” said Rammbuda.
