Mixed feelings over own municipality for Malamulele

A new municipality for Malamulele - will this herald a new era for Malamulele and end the turbulent and violent period in this volatile area?

The announcement by the chairperson of the Municipal Demarcation Board, Ms Jane Thupana, last Friday that some municipalities in the country will be de-established while new ones will be proclaimed was received with mixed feelings.

The announcement is in line with a request by Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Pravin Gorhan for the reduction of municipalities and that municipal boundaries be reconfigured before the 2016 elections. The announcement that Malamulele will form part of a new municipality to be formed in Vhembe was the best news ever for the people of Malamulele, who have been fighting for their own municipality, separate from Thulamela, for the past ten years.

They cite the lack of service delivery and one-sided services for people in the Thohoyandou area as the reason of their wanting their own municipality. Not long ago, the residents of the area embarked on a total shutdown of the area, with no movement in or out. The shutdown was hijacked at times by a hooligan element, who broke into businesses and burnt them in the name of the struggle.

The shutdown was temporarily suspended, after a new mandate was given to the leadership in the area by the community to seek new ways of getting their own municipality

The new setup, as announced by Ms Thupana, phases out the Mutale municipality in Vhembe, with some parts to fall within Thulamela and some within Musina. Of interest is that the new municipality will incorporate parts of the Vuwani area in Makhado and Malamulele in Thulamela.

Even though the municipal demarcation board chairperson indicated that the new setup is subject to change, with residents and structures being given 30 days to raise objections or confirm support, the mood is already one of joy in the Malamulele area. A random survey by this paper revealed that Malamulele's people are very excited about the latest developments. Some said the new municipality must be called the Malamulele Municipality, while others felt it should be named after the recently deceased Minister Collins Chabane.

“Our area has been neglected for a long time and all services were centralized in Thohoyandou, while we suffered. Here we will elect people who will listen to us and do what we want. Look at roads here; sometimes we go for a long time without even water, which is a basic necessity,” said Mr Mthavini Mabasa, who stays in Malamulele. Mr Simon Mashele, who lives in Mavambe, not far from Thohoyandou, said they had reason to celebrate. “We are delighted that our prayers have finally been answered. We fought hard for this and, even though there were so many bad things that happened on the way to this day, we should put everything behind us and work hard to develop the areas left behind in terms of development."

The announcement was received differently by chiefs in the former Venda. Speaking on behalf of the five senior traditional leaders of Tshikonelo, Ramovha, Netshimbupfe, Davhana and Masia, Thovhele Nthumeni Masia, who had been very vocal about the issue, said their stand had not changed. “We have said before and we still say that we will not be part of this new setup. Our stand is clear that we will exercise our democratic right to object, and we have the hope that our reasons will be heard. If not, we will decide which route to go. We  are part of a growing municipality and we are satisfied where we are,” said Masia.

He further indicated that they were in consultation with their communities and that they would made a formal pronouncement in due course.

Date:13 July 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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