FREE OCTOBER 2020 WWW.MPMIRRORONLINE.CO.ZA MPUMALANGA MIRROR @MPMIRROR COMMUNITY COMMUNITY COMMUNITY FEATURES Service “We don’t SA IDOLS: BEAUTY delivery celebrate Vote for MP’s LANE: turmoil in corruption” foursome Miss MP Lekwa - Cosatu 2020 to be 2 2 3 5 crowned TAPS RUN DRY IN LERORO LERORO TOWNSHIP HAS BEEN STRUGGLING WITHOUT WATER FOR THE PAST 10 YEARS Jabulane khumalo tankers are not servicing the community. No one knows what happened to them and the LERORO – The community of this remote municipality did not even communicate that township is on the brink of despair with to us.” their ongoing shortage of water which has spurned for the past 10 and even more years Response from the municipality with no solution in sight. Spokesperson, Themba Sibiya said the Instead, their taps have run really dry water tankers were used as an intervention with a number of boreholes in existence, against the Covid-19 pandemic donated by but dysfunctional and others only providing the Department of Water and Sanitation. water to the Leroro Police Station while the “The tankers were withdrawn at the end community struggles to make ends meet of August 2020. The Municipality is at an on how to aff ord buying water from water advanced stage to procure one replacement trucks which sell it for R500 to fi ll up a water tanker that will be used to service the water tank. area,” said Sibiya. On September 11, Mpumalanga Mirror On non-functional boreholes, he said was invited to a community gathering led Leroro is one of the driest villages in by Gregory Mashile where various residents the northern areas such that some of the voiced out how for the past two weeks, boreholes had to be abandoned due to not they’ve not been receiving water with water having enough yield or groundwater while tankers having disappeared. other boreholes were never commissioned. “We don’t have water to drink, bath or “There are currently two approved to do the laundry. As it is, we don’t know Community leader, Gregory Mashile with members of the community pointing out one of the projects with one already launched aimed at where water will come from and we’re dysfunctional boreholes. augmenting water supply in the area. This stranded. The municipality did not inform will be done through drilling boreholes in us about what is happening in the past two are not functioning. There are pensioners sacrifi ce some of his pension grant money areas with reasonable groundwater to ensure weeks. We just want water, nothing more. Is in the area who are suff ering because of the to buy water that costs him R500 to fi ll up a sustained supply in the area. it so diffi cult to provide residents with basic lack of water. What frustrates us the most is his Jojo tank. He also pointed out that there “The proposed projects are funded by the needs? the fact that we’re in the dark and no one is are two water tankers stationed at the police Department of Human Settlements and the “I did not even bath this morning, where accounting for what is happening,” said Ida station, however, they are not of assistance National Treasury through their COVID-19 was I supposed to get the water from? We’re Raboa Marule. in time of need to the community. relief budgets. The municipality will be not asking for much, but water. Various An elder in the community, Barney Sedibe “Some of us are pensioners and we can’t responsible for maintaining them with its boreholes are available in the area, but they also vented out his frustration that he has to walk long distances to get water when operational budget,” explained Sibiya. Mpumalanga Mirror - Reflecting the truth 2 Mpumalanga Mirror COMMUNITY October 2020 Cosatu calls for a new strategy Bongani Hlatshwayo EMBALENHLE – Has the older generation exhausted ways of tackling gender based in society that has prompted the move to fi nd new ways? This was the assertion expressed by Govan Mbeki’s Cosatu representative, Mduduzi Mazibuko last Saturday when he called on the current leadership to involve young leadership in coming up with better strategies to tackle social ills in society, especially gender based violence. He was speaking during the offi cial celebration of heritage month and addressing Protestors milling around the municipal offi ces. issues of gender based violence as organised by the ANC provincial legislature chief whip, Fidel Mlombo at the Lillian Ngoyi Community Hall. He said: “Despite numerous prayer Ongoing protests disrupt service sessions held countrywide as an appeal for spiritual intervention to fi ght this scourge, we still experience rising fi gures of cases on gender based violence. It is our appeal as Cosatu to try young leadership who may delivery in Lekwa Local Municipality come up with newer strategies. “It’s about time that we invest in youngsters in a manner of training them David Maretlane has reached a boiling point. After fi ve weeks of the ongoing strike, the from a very young age about abuse of the It was at the beginning of August that the Executive Mayor’s political team intervened next human being that it’s an off ense. In that STANDERTON – It’s been two months municipality has experienced problems of and engaged with the union on several manner, we can realize better outcomes with that service delivery has been aff ected at the service delivery when municipal workers outstanding demands. Subsequent to that, a new direction. Lekwa Local Municipality and the situation downed tools on 3 August. The workers, both parties reached an amicable solution on “On the matter of celebrating human affi liated to the South African Municipal the demands and agreed to call off the strike rights and heritage day, we as Cosatu can Workers Union (SAMWU), downed on 8 September. profoundly state that we fi nd nothing to tools and took to the streets to hand- Lekwa’s communications manager, celebrate as workers because as we emerged over a memorandum of demands to the Thobeka Mtshiselwa and SAMWU from the Covid-19 pandemic to Level 1, municipality. chairperson, Vusi Dlamini, confi rmed the as workers, we emerged with a devastating Some of the demands included the agreement. eff ect because as we speak, millions of 6.2% wage increase, personal protective The dust had hardly settled when the workers are without jobs. MANAGING COMPANY: “The loss of one man’s job aff ects almost equipment (PPE), overtime payment, risk Lekwa Community Forum declared a 40 other people dependent on that single EUPHONIA INVESTMENTS allowance, alleged corruption on awarding complete shutdown for two days - Monday income. That is evident with the very long tenders amounting to R47 million and the 14 and 15 September. The shutdown aff ected queues at the department of labour’s offi ces demand for the immediate removal of the businesses and schools. with unemployed workers seeking their Municipal Manager, Gugulethu Ntshangase- The convener of the shutdown, Louis Editor: unemployment insurance fund benefi ts, as Mhlongo. Thabethe said on 17 August the forum we speak. Bongani Hlatshwayo However, a wage dispute was settled, but handed over a memorandum of demands “There’s also the issue of frontline Cell: workers vowed to continue the strike until to the Gert Sibande District Municipality’s workers who have been at the forefront other demands were met. Speaker for the attention of State President, of the fi ght to contain the coronavirus 079-069-1092 The strike has impacted negatively on Cyril Ramaphosa, the Minister of COGTA, pandemic in society. Despite sacrifi cing their Email: service delivery in the absence of workers Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma and the Minister lives for the nation, this year they haven’t to attend to emergency situations including of Human Settlements, Lindiwe Sisulu. received any pay hikes, too. It’s so sad for [email protected] refuse removal. This was after the local municipality and us as Cosatu to be facing such anomalies The business community led by the District Municipality allegedly failed to whilst our members are facing this unknown Lekwa Ratepayers Association, weighed in resolve the service delivery concerns. enemy, Covid-19, risking their lives. News Editor: to hand-over their memorandum of demands “The community is angry over dirty “In Evander alone, we have 83 workers Yoliswa Hlatshwayo to the municipality calling on them to meet tap water, roads ravaged by pot holes, who have tested positive. Around Govan the demands of workers, provide service no refuse removal, interrupted water and Mbeki we have about 75 who have tested delivery and the immediate removal of the electricity supply, spilling sewer, rotational positive, and sadly two workers died as Municipal Manager from offi ce. load shedding, unlawful allocation of a result of their infection, all these are Sports Editor & Digital Manager: frontline workers. Workers continue to picket outside RDP houses in Extension 8 and ravaged Jabulane Khumalo “There’s also a section of our people who municipal building daily, barricaded with corruption in the municipality,” said have benefi ted a lot from this Covid-19 and burning tyres. Thabethe. have become instant millionaires through Layout Artist: The municipality had introduced local He revealed that they have received corruption. They’ve fraudulently benefi ted rotational load shedding from June, much communication from the Offi ce of the from the public purse which also belongs Riaz du Preez to the frustration of businesses and the President and Ministry of COGTA on to the workers. We are saying we can’t community. Tuesday 15 September, but could not be happy when there are unscrupulous That was after Eskom refused to upgrade divulge the contents to the media.