Major potholes, raw sewage flowing through the streets, uncollected rubbish, youth loitering, families cooking meals over open fires and the stench of waste and sewerage confront you as you enter the townships governed by theDitsobotla Local Municipality. On Wednesday, Deputy PresidentPaul Mashatilevisited the area as part of the ANC’s 114 anniversary celebrations in North West, promising residents imminent change. Many were however sceptical, saying the visit felt like yet another campaign exercise similar to those witnessed repeatedly over the years.
As Mashatile greeted children and posed for photographs, a few women could be heard instructing their children: “Tell him you don’t have school shoes, food, water and that your school fees are not paid.” According to locals, the greed of politicians has led to the total destruction of their community, leaving many residents without hope of ever finding jobs or prosperity. Mashatile promised that after the ANC’sJanuary 8 rally, being held in the North West this weekend, work would begin in the area. “It’s an organisation of the people, an organisation of the community, and the leaders of the ANC should always be grounded in the community.
The work has started. They will tell you when the elections will be. We will continue to work with you.
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Let us fix the challenges so that the community can enjoy their lives,” he said. In April 2024, a month before South Africa’s general elections theMail & Guardian visited Ditsobotla. A tour of the area this week suggests nothing much has changed since.
Rubbish remains uncollected, sewage continues to spill into people’s homes, water and electricity challenges persist and unemployment remains widespread. During the 2024 pre-election visit, then mayor Thabo Nkashe said the department of environmental services had temporarily suspended household waste collection across the municipality because all trucks were grounded due to mechanical failures. He said the municipality was in dire financial straits, hampering its ability to deliver services.
“Our roads are in a terrible state. We are currently unable to maintain them due to cash-flow problems and budgetary constraints. However, we are working around the clock to turn around the municipality’s financial position to address service delivery backlogs,” he said at the time.
In 2024, M&G also visited Nick Kubelo, a tavern owner whose home has been dubbed “ko masepeng” – loosely translated as “the sh**house” – because of persistent sewage spills. Kubelo said he had raised the issue with the municipality for more than 10 years without success. “This pains me so much.
I was recently called to my children’s school because they are being labelled as kids who live at‘ko masepeng’. This smell is not good for my children. If it were only me, it would be better,” he said. At one point, Kubelo filled buckets with sewage and dumped them inside the council offices to express his frustration, but the municipality continued to ignore him.
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