The residents from Nkanini in eMalahleni are fed up with the lack of service delivery in their area, claiming that they have been neglected for far too long.

The community from Ward 28 complained about the poor infrastructure in the area, with no proper roads for cars to pass through and residents often having to navigate through other people’s homes to reach their own.

The situation is worsened by the full toilets, creating an unbearable living environment. Despite numerous reports to the municipality, the residents say they are always met with empty promises with no notable action.

“We’ve been reporting the matter for so many years, but it still won’t receive the attention it requires,” said Busisiwe Khumalo, a concerned resident.

They say the municipality has been hosting outreach meetings in the area, which have also done little to address their concerns, causing them to believe that their voices are falling on deaf ears.

The residents complained that since 1996, they have been making promises to deliver services to their community, but there still is no improvement, instead, the condition is worsening over time.

One resident added that the municipality once suggested that the community change the name of their area, implying that the name itself was the problem as it implies that they “stayed there by force,” and that caused the residents to believe that their concerns are not being taken seriously.

“They only fix the areas that are in the public eye, but since our area is hidden, they don’t bother addressing our problems and concerns,” Busisiwe said.

The residents are calling for their voices to be heard and for the municipality to take steps towards addressing their service delivery issues.

WITBANK NEWS reached out to municipal spokesperson Lebo Mofokeng, but there was no comment from him by the time of going to print.

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