More woes in Malamulele despite Gordhan’s visit

The community of Malamulele continues with its total shutdown of services, despite the visit by four Ministers to plead with the community to make peace, so the children could return to school.

Minister of Cooperative Governance Pravin Gordhan visited the area with Police Minister Nkosinathi Nhleko, Social Development Minister Bathabile Dlamini and Justice Minister Michael Masutha. Gordhan told the community the government had no control over the Municipal Demarcation Board and urged the community to allow the area to return to normality.

Nhleko said he was concerned with stability while Dlamini said she was concerned that those receiving grants did not receive them last month.

Community members, however, shot down the government’s suggestions. “Gordhan is undermining the people of Malamulele; he is coming here to tell us about the Demarcation Act, whereas we dealt with it 13 years ago,” said a local leader. Gordhan was booed when he talked about the act, so was Nhleko when he talked about stability.

Dlamini said that people, especially the senior citizens, had not been able to access grants because of the shutdown in Malamulele. She said out of 55 000 people in Malamulele, only 13 000 had received their grants last month.

Malamulele task team spokesperson Mr Isaiah Ndhambi said he and his community wanted stability to be restored to the area but it depended on the community. Local Sanco head Mr Brian Maluleke said it was worrying when the democratic government ignored the will of the people for 15 years. “They are making our people to want nothing to do with the government and that is worrying. It affects us as leaders of the community when the supposed people’s government is deaf to the will of the people,” he said.

T-shirts with the words "Malamulele Municipality" are popular and sell like hot cakes in Malamulele. Malamulele is, however, as quiet as it has been over the last two weeks. People choose to stay at home but peacefully protest in pursuit of their demands. They said democracy had not brought anything but shame, because they were not represented in the decision making at both the Thulamela and Vhembe District Municipality.

The spokesperson of the Department of Education in Limpopo, Paene Galane, asked parents in Malamulele to give the education of their children top priority.

During this paper's visit to the area on Tuesday, a bus load of representatives from all the ANC branches in the area was leaving for Polokwane to meet the the top leadership of the province.

Date:30 January 2015

By: Elmon Tshikhudo

Elmon Tshikhudo started off as a photographer. He developed an interest in writing and started submitting articles to local as well as national publications. He became part of the Limpopo Mirror family in 2005 and was a permanent part of the news team until 2019.

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