Note to Editors: Find attached soundbites in English and Setswana by DA Councillor, Mahikeng Local Municipality, Joe Motau.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Mahikeng today launched an online petition against the Mahikeng Local Municipality for its failure to fix potholes, remove refuse and maintain the sewerage system in the city’s Industrial Site. (Sign here: https://petitions.da.org.za/p/service-delivery-at-mahikengs-industrial-site )
The Industrial Site accommodates the majority of Mahikeng businesses and serves as the economic hub of the provincial capital city.
The massive potholes not only make access to businesses in this area nearly impossible, but also serve as dams for overflowing raw sewage due to the lack of maintenance on the sewerage system. (See pictures here and here)
This situation is a customer-repellent and poses a serious health hazard, which negatively affects the local economy of Mahikeng.
Business owners pay rates and taxes that should be used to fund basic service delivery in the area such as regular refuse removal, but this is not the case. Businesses that have been operating in the Industrial Site for more than 10 years, have never enjoyed this basic service.
It is a shame that the ANC governed capital city have neglected the local industrial area to this extent. Any capital city worth the name ought to pride itself in the delivery of quality basic services. Mahikeng should be a prime example of a city that attracts investment towards economic growth and job creation, but this is clearly not a priority for the embattled municipality under the ANC.
These challenges are however not limited to the Industrial Site. The residents of Mahikeng have all suffered under a dysfunctional municipality embroiled in ANC factional battles and maladministration for years.
The people of Mahikeng deserve a government that will put their needs first by delivering the services they are constitutionally entitled to.
On 27 October 2021, residents can bring an end to the failed governance of the ANC by voting for a corrupt-free government that only the DA can provide.