Johannesburg - The mood of some residents of Madibeng in Brits could only be matched by the inclement weather in the North West town on Tuesday.
With the local government elections a week away, residents of various townships, including Damonsville and Mothotlung, appeared more despondent than hopeful about politics.
The mood is not surprising, considering that Madibeng remains a troubled municipality, after the killing of community activists by police who were protesting against poor water services in 2014.
And according to a Stats SA 2011 census, only 27 percent of Madibeng residents have refuse removal - one of the primary functions of a municipality.
Damonsville resident Johanna Aphane told The Star on Tuesday that while there has been a marked improvement in water supply since that fateful year, many other problems remained.
“We complain daily about the unreliable electricity supply and taps that still run dry for days, to no avail,” he said. “But the biggest problem facing us here in this community is the lack of jobs. I wish I could be more hopeful that this election will change things, but I am not.”
Aphane, who looks after her ailing mother, said that whenever the water supply or electricity was abruptly interrupted, she worried because she could not leave her house.
Another resident, who did not want to be named, echoed Aphane’s gloomy sentiments about the erratic water and electricity supply.
“You know we are tired of complaining, so whenever the water goes we simply wait for it to come back, hoping it won’t be weeks,” she said.
“So far, I am yet to see anything being done to improve people’s lives other than a few roads here and there.”
In Mothotlung, the fierce battle for water left Nnini Marumo equally dejected.
She said she had lost all hope that the elections could result in an improvement in people’s lives.
“The truth is that politicians will only come back again here in five years, and they will find the same problems that have been there for the past 10 years,” she said.
“People have been waiting for houses, electricity and jobs for years now. We have voted for them all along, but there is little to show for it till now.”
But Christina Mphela, 73, said that while she had also been disappointed, not all hope was lost.
She complained about some roads that were still not tarred, an erratic water supply and a lack of employment opportunities for the youth.
Nic Motloung, station manager at Madibeng FM, a local radio station, said the community was consumed by a feeling of lost hope, but some remained optimistic.
“I think we need a miracle here and the communities need to start standing up on their own to make the changes that they want, because they have lost hope that politicians will do it,” he said. “The problem here is not lack of water, but a municipality that cannot deliver it to the people.
“There is water in Madibeng but the problem is it is sitting somewhere in the municipality not reaching the people.”
Madibeng Facts
Population:477 381
Political party votes in 2011:
ANC - 75 percent
DA - 20 percent
COPE - 2 percent
FF+ - 1 percent.
Unemployment:20-31percent are not economically active. - Source Wazimap by Media Monitoring Africa
The Star