LIMPOPO – Tshiendeulu residents staged a peaceful march to the Makhado Municipality on October 1, led by EFF deputy provincial chairperson Anthony Matumba, whom residents had approached to assist them in raising their concerns with the municipality.

Residents who say they are tired of alleged corrupt activities in their village have organised themselves and established an anti-corruption unit to protect the interests of the community.

Their main concerns are the lack of delivery of basic services in the village. In their memorandum, they stated that they had raised their concerns with municipal management for many years without satisfactory solutions.

Fed up with corruption and nepotism

Vhakoma Vho-Avhasei Nephali, who represented them, called for political appointments to be stopped and for employment to be based on merit rather than political affiliation.

He highlighted nepotism as one of the main reasons for what he described as the municipality’s dysfunction.

He said employees should be appointed according to their qualifications and experience rather than through favouritism.

“We are fed up with corruption and nepotism in this municipality. Some people are occupying positions for which they do not even qualify. Workers must be employed according to their credentials, not according to favours,” he said.

According to Nephali, allegations of nepotism at the municipality have been reported to the Public Service Commission and the Premier’s Office.

He said residents were also frustrated by the municipality’s alleged failure to deliver basic services.

“We have reached a boiling point. We are being taken for granted by the municipality while our communities suffer in silence. Today, we rise with one voice to say: enough is enough.

“Our demands are not requests, and they are non-negotiable. All we want is service delivery, not political statements.”

Nephali said corruption was not only a problem in major towns and cities but was also affecting rural communities such as Tshiendeulu.

“The community is tired of corrupt activities taking place day in and day out. So many things are not going right in this village, and if we do not stand up as a community and correct the wrongs, no one will do it for us,” he said.

Concerns about traditional leaders and municipal officials

He also raised concerns about alleged corruption involving some traditional leaders.

“We have a challenge of greedy traditional leaders who are involved in corruption, which has denied many of our residents opportunities to make a livelihood,” he said.

Nephali further criticised the municipality’s failure to provide adequate services, saying some municipal councillors and officials did not live in the area and therefore did not understand the challenges faced by residents.

“One aspect which is leading to the negligence of service delivery is that the municipality is led by councillors and officials who do not live in this area. Do they know what it means to drink dirty brown water or endure dry taps for days?” he asked.

He further alleged that some officials had employed close relatives and friends instead of following proper recruitment procedures.

“We will not allow a situation where the poorest of the poor are being denied a chance to earn a livelihood because of corruption. We will stand up as a community and fight for our rights.”

Demanding a constitutional right

The protesters also emphasised the urgent need for access to basic services, particularly water.

“We are not asking for luxuries. We are demanding our constitutional right to access water regularly,” one said.

The residents demanded that senior municipal officials, rather than junior representatives, receive their memorandum.

The municipality’s director of community services, Johnson Lukheli, received and signed the memorandum on behalf of the mayor and promised to forward the document to the relevant authorities.

Other demands

Among their demands, the residents called for:

• Streets and parks to be properly maintained, saying overgrown vegetation creates hiding places for criminals and stolen property and could also contribute to accidents
• Sewage problems to be attended to promptly when reported to ensure a healthy environment
• The municipality to provide them with an action plan addressing all the issues raised

Warning of escalation

They warned that if the municipality failed to respond within seven working days, they would escalate their protest by shutting down activities at the municipality, schools and government offices, and closing the N1 in an effort to force the implementation of their demands.