Makana Municipality held an imbizo at Manley Flats on Sunday, where the communities of surrounding farms gathered to air their grievances about poor service delivery.
Makana Municipality held an imbizo at Manley Flats on Sunday, where the communities of surrounding farms gathered to air their grievances about poor service delivery.
In the presence of Makana Mayor Vumile Lwana, Ward 4 Councillor Melikhaya Phongolo and Municipal Manager Ntombi Baart and other municipal officials, the imbizo was a presentation of the municipality’s Integrated Development Programme (IDP) which is currently being reviewed.
This serves to give an ear to the needs of the municipality’s communities so that they can be integrated into the new financial year’s budget in July.
Proposed development objectives,strategies and projects for the 2010/11 IDP budget will include basic service delivery and Local Economic Development projects such as improved primary healthcare services and promoting a culture of reading and learning.
Lwana addressed the meeting, emphasising that the government has limited scope for intervention with delivery services for farms as they are owned by private farmers.
But he also said that this can be avoided through establishing agreements with the farm owners. Dissatisfied members of Manley Flats, Southwell and Collingham Farm expressed their anger about poor living conditions, lack of sanitation, housing, water and electricity supply and transportation.
In terms of water relief, the municipality says they installed some water tanks last year but according to the residents these tanks are always empty and those that do contain water are often dirty.
Manley Flats residents complained that this forces them to steal water belonging to the farmers’, thus creating conflicts.
In response, Likhaya Ngandi of the Makana Special Programmes Unit said that new water tanks are on their way but a delay has been caused by a lack of stands or cement foundations which allows the right space between the tap and the ground.
Ngandi also mentioned the high costs involved in building the stands and purchasing the water tanks. “We will also need authority from the farmers to proceed with the services but I assure you that the tanks are coming.”
The angry residents, some of whom have lived on the farms for over 80 years, were shocked to see the municipality only willing to take action now after the self same issues had been raised years ago.
Lwana reflected that the country is still a young and growing nation, mentioning that people should start appreciating the opportunities brought by the post-apartheid regime.
He also admitted that government does not support the farmers much, saying that if agriculture was a commodity they would support and invest in it.
The municipality revealed that development plans are in process and the needs of farm residents will not be overlooked in the 2010/11 IDP budget before departing to attend another imbizo at Fort Brown.
