Staff Reporter
Poor quality of roads, substandard electrical infrastructure, non-responsive police and stock theft are among the key service delivery issues that emerged during a meeting between Public Protector Advocate Busisiwe Mkhwebane and the Kholokoe Traditional Authority near Harrismith in the Free State on Tuesday.
Mkhwebane, who was accompanied by her deputy Advocate Kholeka Gcaleka, was on a two-day visit to the Free State starting Monday and also met with members of the provincial government in Bloemfontein.
“They heard of the struggles of the Makholokoe community including how ambulances and scholar transport cannot enter or leave the village during rainy seasons as the only access road – a dirt street – gets flooded, interrupting schooling and limiting access to healthcare, among other amenities,” the office of the Public Protector said in a statement.
Strained relations between the community and the local councillor and the municipality’s alleged failure to consult the traditional authority ahead of the implementation of development projects on communal land were also cited among the key impediments to service delivery.
“In one case, an oil pipeline which runs from Durban in the neighbouring KwaZulu-Natal to Bethlehem, cutting through the rural village, was damaged allegedly after the municipality excavated a local site for a failed sanitation project without consulting the traditional authority. It was alleged that the municipality attempted to hold the traditional authority liable,” added the statement.
Mkhwebane referred the issues to Maluti-a-Phofung Local Municipality executive mayor Gilbert Mokotso, council speaker Paratlane Motloung and the municipal manager who has been tasked with developing a plan of action.
They must furnish the Public Protector with a copy for monitoring purposes.
On Monday, Mkhwebane met with provincial government authorities in Mangaung where she appealed to Speaker of the Legislature Zanele Sifuba to help enforce remedial action aimed at addressing acts of maladministration and redress prejudicial conduct identified during investigations involving provincial government departments and municipalities.