Johannesburg - The DA in the Free State has vowed to hold the country’s deputy president, Paul Mashatile, accountable for the promises he made to the people of Jagersfontein.
On Tuesday, Mashatile and provincial leaders conducted a service delivery oversight visit to the community of Jagersfontein after the area was hit by a flood in September 2022.
On Wednesday, DA provincial leader Dr Roy Jankielsohn said the party welcomed Mashatile’s visit to the people of Jagersfontein even though it came more than six months after two people were killed and more than 2 000 community members lost their homes and become destitute following the bursting of the mine dam.
“The visit by Deputy President Paul Mashatile to Jagersfontein is welcomed and long overdue. Visits by the DA to the town recently revealed that the community is still under water pressure and experiencing little to no municipal services,” Dr Jankielsohn said.
“The water houses and tanks erected by Jagersfontein Developments are often dry, with a 30% supply from Waterboard Bloem Water due to an R600 million debt by the Kopanong Local Municipality.
“Sewage systems remained dysfunctional, and refuse was piled up on pavements and in stormwater drains. Unemployment remains a serious problem, and many residents have already left the town in search of greener pastures elsewhere.”
During his visit, Mashatile said plans to restore and rebuild some of the houses that were destroyed would be completed in the next six months.
While addressing residents following his service delivery oversight visit, the former ANC treasurer revealed that the Jagersfontein Development Project had pledged to build houses for displaced residents in the coming six months.
The DA said Mashatile’s announcement that the Kopanong Local Municipality be placed under Section 139 Administration was unconvincing.
It said that in the past, administrators in other municipalities across the province had been unable to improve the administration, financial management or service delivery.
“In fact, with the exception of the tailings dam disaster, most towns and municipalities in the Free State experience similar problems as Jagersfontein and Kopanong.”
Dr Jankielsohn said Kopanong was not the only local government affected. There were many others who could benefit from the same interventions.
“If the provincial government is going to assist Kopanong to write off debt to Bloem Water, then other municipalities should receive similar assistance, where residents experience similar water shortages and restrictions.”
He said the DA would continue its oversight in Jagersfontein and hold the deputy president accountable for his promises of improved service delivery to the community.
“We also challenge him to travel on our provincial roads and visit other towns across the province, so that he can see for himself how ANC-run local provincial governments have devastated services and local economies,” Dr Jankielsohn said.
The Star