Johannesburg - The five-week shutdown that brought the town of Malamulele in Limpopo to a halt has ended.
On Monday, the Malamulele task team agreed to suspend its protest action to allow the process - initiated by the Municipal Demarcation Board and the Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs Department - to be given a fair chance.
Boundaries of some municipalities are to be redetermined in several provinces. Those that are not financially viable will be dissolved or merged.
Residents imposed a five-week shutdown that stopped major services.
Pupils were barred from attending classes and the administration blocks at four schools were burnt as the community demanded to have their own municipality separate from Thulamela Local Municipality.
Last month, the Municipal Demarcation Board rejected the request for a separate municipality, saying Malamulele and its surrounding villages weren’t financially viable.
Residents had accused Thulamela municipality of favouring areas of Venda-speaking people. Malamulele consists mainly of Tsonga speakers.
The deputy secretary of the Malamulele task team, Isaac Nokeri, said on Monday: “We have decided to suspend the shutdown for a while to give the process a chance to unfold.”
He said the community might consider the possibility of falling under any other municipality.
“We no longer want Thulamela. We can fall under any other municipality. We have suffered a lot,” said Nokeri.
The process to redetermine municipal boundaries will include a public consultation, and it was hoped it would be completed before next year’s local government elections.
According to a circular issued by the demarcation board, four Limpopo municipalities - Aganang, Fetakgomo, Maruleng and Mutale - will be dissolved. Aganang will be integrated into the neighbouring Polokwane, Blouberg and Molemole municipalities.
Fetakgomo will be divided between the Tubatse and Makhuduthamaga municipalities, while Maruleng will be shared by Tzaneen and Phalaborwa.
Thulamela municipality, under which Malamulele falls, will take a part of Mutale. Other parts of Mutale will be divided between the Makhado and Musina municipalities.
Modimolle and Mookgophong will be merged to form a single municipality.
On Monday, hundreds of pupils in Malamulele missed the first day of the supplementary exam.
Nokeri said Acting Education MEC Jerry Ndou had made a commitment that provision would be made for the pupils to write the exams.
Neither department spokesman Paena Galane nor acting head of department Martin Mashaba could be reached for comment.
Meanwhile, the Commission for Promotion and Protection of Rights of Cultural, Religious and Linguistic Communities met the Malamulele task team and was presented with allegations of nepotism and tribalism.
The commission’s deputy chairman, Professor David Mosoma, said the claims included nepotism in Thulamela municipality and other government offices.
He said the commission would validate the claims with traditional and religious leaders because “we can’t make a definitive statement out of sheer claims”.
The ANC Limpopo hailed the decision by Malamulele residents to call off the protest as progressive and in the best interests of all affected parties.
“The ANC in Limpopo welcomes the decision by the people of Malamulele to call off the shut-down of businesses and services in Malamulele and the surrounding areas,” said spokesman Khumbudzo Ntshavheni in a statement.
“The ANC views the decision to cease the public remonstrations as progressive and being in the best interests of all the affected
parties.”
As a leader of society, the African National Congress committed to continue engaging with the people of Malamulele to advance their concerns.
“This has been demonstrated by the continuous engagements between the ANC, its structures and the Malamulele task team, and the recent establishment of a service delivery audit team in Malamulele,” said Ntshavheni.
The Star and Sapa