Municipal and provincial officials and resident representatives of Meqheleng and Ficksburg were locked in talks on Friday over service delivery problems in the eastern Free State town.
Ficksburg itself was quiet, as most people went about their business after two days of violent service delivery protests in which election candidate Andries Tatane was beaten to death, allegedly by the police.
In the town, which is known for its annual Cherry Festival, many residents and business people were not ready to let the matter rest.
“Ons is gatvol (We are fed-up),” said a local businessman who wanted to be identified only as Stefan.
“We feel exactly as they (Meqheleng residents) are feeling.”
He said that, as a businessman, he did not in favour the damaging businesses and buildings by protesters, but that “everybody was fed-up” with the municipality.
Many other business people agreed that no municipal services were rendered in town and in Meqheleng.
“They came to change my water meter nearly six to eight months ago in town. They broke it and left broken,” he said.
Residents had been erecting water tanks on their properties to ensure they had water every day.
Elsabe Risseeuw said municipal services in town were “pathetic”.
“There is no maintenance done in the town. People fix their potholes in their own streets.”
She said that in Ficksburg, just as in Meqheleng, there had been no water for the first three days of the week.
“The town residents support Meqheleng.”
Ficksburg-Meqheleng Business Association spokesperson Samantha Botes said the town's businesses recently handed a memorandum to the municipality, but without success.
Their demands included better maintenance of the town's streets, sewerage, rubbish collection and water shortages.
“It's terrible,” she said.
Botes said she could understand why the community was standing together.
“What the people have done (protests) was correct.”
She said that what was happening in Ficksburg and Meqheleng affected everybody.
Botes said town officials were seen in town driving “fancy cars” and “eating out every night”. While they lived in luxury, many people in town were suffering.
“We have a right to voice our opinion.”
In Meqheleng, the rubbish and the burned skeletons of obstacles such as devils fork fences, trees, furniture and bricks blocked almost every road on Friday.
Residents were, nonetheless, going about their business and children were playing everywhere.
Karabo Chaka, a friend of Tatane, was awaiting the outcome of the officials' meeting with residents.
Retelling the events of Tatane's death, Chaka said it had been unnecessary.
He said Tatane had been helping an old man out of the way of the police's water cannon when officials tried to apprehend him.
“He said to the police officer not to pull him as he would walk with them, but then the fight started.”
Chaka said the battle for water in Meqheleng started two years ago.
Resident Edward Nthotso said the whole matter was sad.
“Die wond het nog nie genees nie (The wound has not healed yet).”
He said the death of Tatane was a blow to everybody in town and that the whole community was in “trauma”.
Sello Masilo, 51, a Maqheleng resident for the past 20 years, said Tatane's death was “not right”.
Moipone Mokhese, 25, said she walked 10 kilometres every time she went to fetch water.
“On my head, on a kruiwa (wheel-barrow), on bakkies, we sometimes get help from other people.”
At Thabo Makopo's uncle's place, a long queue of people waited their turn to fill buckets and 20 litre plastic cans with water.
Kelby Blangwe, 37, carrying two 20 litre cans, said twice a day he or somebody in his family walked two kilometres to fetch water.
Free State MEC for cooperative governance Mamiki Qabathe was part of the discussions, which had not been finalised by late on Friday afternoon.
While visiting the family of Tatane in Meqheleng, she said officials had been in discussion with the Meqheleng Concerned Citizens group even before Wednesday's tragic march.
Referring to Friday's talks, she said many of the issues needed to be discussed at the province's executive level.
“As individual I cannot commit to all the issues without the executive's approval.”
She said it was agreed that answers to the demands would be ready only by the end of next week. -
Sapa