Residents of Madibogo community in the North West are threatening not to participate in the upcoming 2019 general elections due to lack of service delivery since 1994.
The residents of Madibogo Village in Delareyville are decrying lack of service delivery and are intending not to participate in the upcoming elections in protest. The residents of the North West village embarked on a violent strike on Thursday, 21 February 2019, in front of Ratlou Local Municipality offices. Police were able to contain the situation.
Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) estimated the population of the village to be around 22 556 in the 2011 census. Like many communities around the country, there is an increase in the number of unemployed youth, lack of road maintenance, water shortages, no access to electricity, schools with pit toilets and lack of proper primary health care facilities, among other issues.
Tebogo Brown, who is in his early 30s, is a resident of Madibogo and says that the primary school he used to attend was always without water when he was a learner around 1999, which is still the case in the present day. He feels that the authorities/government are not doing anything about their grievances.
“Another disaster has been the bridge which was ruined during heavy rains (“Hurricane Dineo”), we have been telling the government that this bridge poses danger to our kids as they use that R505 daily as they travel to school, I believe that it’s a miracle that no one has lost their life on that road,” said Brown.
Brown says he has lost confidence in the local government, he further contends that the provincial or national government cannot rescue them from this crisis because they are “comrades” who look out for each other at the expense of the community. Brown believes that the only thing which can better the situation is to file a lawsuit with a competent court of law to force the municipality to provide service delivery to the community.
Political Analysis South Africa spoke to Patrick Mabale, another resident, who says that the Mayor of Ratlou Local Municipality, Tebogo Modise, is not honest about her lack of service delivery to the community.
Kenneth Mokgatlhe
k.mokgatlhe@politicalanalysis.co.za