'We're a forgotten community on an island'

Residents of Tshivhulana Zone 6, located outside Vuwani, are expressing growing frustration with the Collins Chabane Municipality over what they see as a failure to provide basic services such as water and electricity. Established in 2013, the village of 135 households has been waiting for more than a decade for these essential services, which were promised by the government.

Community leader Ms Mpho Mathode described their situation as being like “a forgotten community on an unknown island.” She explained that residents initially accepted delays when the Makhado Municipality cited planning issues for the new settlement. However, they had hoped for swifter action after the area was incorporated into the new Collins Chabane Municipality. “With the new administration in place, we had hoped things would be speeded up and we get what is due to us, the non-negotiable services that we deserve, but that never happened,” she said.

Mathode recounted the community’s struggle to understand why nothing has been done. “We made several representations to Eskom, who told us that there is nothing they could do as they are only given the list of places to be electrified by the local Collins Chabane Municipality. We then engaged the municipality and the answer we got was shocking; they told us they did not have a budget for us,” she said.

She pointed out that other, newer extensions in villages have already been electrified, leaving residents of Tshivhulana feeling overlooked. “We have lost hope in the ANC-led government. They only know us during elections, and after that we do not exist. Local government elections are coming, and we will teach them a lesson. If it comes to push, we will be forced to go to the higher offices to have our voices heard,” said Mathode.

In response, Mr Robert Mathye, spokesperson for the Collins Chabane Municipality, acknowledged that there is a significant backlog in electrifying some extensions due to the rapid development of new areas. “With the mushrooming of new extensions in villages, we are faced with a huge backlog. We are doing all we can to fast track the electrification process. With regard to the Tshivhulana settlement, we are still going to check their status with the local councillor,” he said.

Date:19 October 2024

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. He currently writes on a freelance basis, covering human rights issues, court news and entertainment.

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