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Community members from Tshilungwi village are trying to repair a section of the road between Khubvi and Tshidzivhe. The road is inaccessible during the rainy season. Photo supplied.

Government has forgotten about us, says Tshilungwi villagers

 

Tshilungwi village outside Thohoyandou is one of numerous villages around the Vhembe region that are adversely affected by the rainy season as the dirt roads get washed away and become nearly completely inaccessible. Tshidzivhe, Tshiwani, Makwarani, Vhutalu and Mudzidzidzi are some of the villages that share in this struggle.

“It has been 28 years since the dawn of democracy, but this community still has not reaped the fruits thereof yet,” said Vhamusanda Vho-Lungisani Netshitongwe sadly.

The villages fall under the Thulamela Municipality and residents have to endure severe hardships when the rainy season starts. On such days, residents walk an average of more than 15km on foot to reach their respective villages, as the main road is too slippery and rocky for cars to drive on.

Besides the problem of the road, nothing much has happened in terms of development in the area either. Netshitongwe said they had been voting since the first democratic elections in the area in the hope that things would change for the better. “We are a very poor community and each time there are elections we go in numbers to vote, but nothing from government comes our way. It becomes very painful to see other villages with RDP houses and toilets built by government, when nothing is happening in your village,” he said.

“We do not even know what to do [about the inaccessible roads]. Life comes to a standstill during the rainy season. Just imagine having to walk for 15km, leaving your car at other villages because of the poor condition of the road. We have tried everything and knocked at [the doors of] all departments for help, but our cries only fell on deaf ears. It seems we are not part of the new South Africa,” Netshitongwe said.

Community leader Ms Tshimangadzo Esther Nemutamba Sinyegwe said the situation was bad. “This week I had to go out and assess the road on foot, only to get stuck in the mud. We do not know where to cry to as the road problem has been with us for so many years. We need help. This is also hindering development in this area. We are like an island in this country,” she said.

Last week, Limpopo Mirror contacted the Department of Public Works for comment and its spokesperson, Mr Joel Seabi, promised to come back, but a week later he still has not done so. Calls to him were not answered and WhatsApp messages were also not responded to.

 

 

Date:16 April 2022

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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