By Lungile Mxube
Residents will [have been]flabbergasted to read in Grocott’s Mail last week that “Makana Municipality reports positive service delivery outcomes”.
Water delivery is less reliable than it was before the drought of 2019. Even though hundreds of millions of rand have been spent on doubling the capacity of the James Kleynhans Water Treatment Works, it is delivering less water than it did before the upgrades began. Tens of millions have been spent on the Jameson Dam, which we exposed as being corruptly used as a cattle and goat farm, with not a drop of water delivered to Makhanda. On 17 September 2025, Council agreed against our objections to an irregular approach of a cession agreement to secure the pump because this was extremely urgent. We have yet to see this promised extra pump for the Howieson’s Poort pump station appear, despite this supposed super urgency.
Many residents live in extreme filth and degradation with sewer spillages that have been running for years. Children play in a disgusting and unhygienic environment. Power goes out regularly, sometimes with no reason reported. The only road repairs in Makana have been funded by outside agencies, while the Makana Roads department sits idle and has not fixed a single pothole for years. Makana Citizens Front councillors did indeed miss the 30 October Special Council Meeting but we gave a proper apology because we had a long-standing commitment.
On that day, 30 October 2025, we made history when we handed over a VIP toilet to an elderly resident of N Street who has had to endure the indignity and denial of basic rights of using a bucket toilet for over 30 years. The joy on his face when he at last had his dignity restored is something every councillor should live for. Yet it is only the MCF, a civic movement with no money, that has found this solution. The ANC in over 30 years has forgotten the poor – except when they present an opportunity to pilfer grants meant to benefit the poor.
When MCF takes control of council, we will move without delay to permanently and comprehensively eradicate bucket toilets. Solutions such as the VIP toilet do not require waiting for the sewer system to catch up. We will also move without delay to formalise informal settlements and to repair the long-standing infrastructure decay that has set under ANC rot. We will ensure that RDP housing is built at a more rapid rate and that tenders are fairly awarded, not set up to reward corrupt insiders.
Unlike the ANC, when we secure government grants to extend infrastructure to the poor, we will ensure that those projects deliver. The ANC are a fine bunch to lecture others on the proper operation of council. We have lost count of the number of times that we have objected to agendas arriving late, long past the deadline in the Rules and Orders, and portfolio committees not sitting when they are supposed to. In more than one case, the portfolio committee could not meet because the chair failed to show up.
We wrote the Speaker a comprehensive response to matters on the agenda that we disputed. He failed to respond to this. Never mind. If he does not want us to call him to account, we will continue to send him others like the SIU, Hawks and Human Rights Commission to demand accountability. We have a few more nice surprises in store, as we are discovering resources for accountability that we did not know
existed. But the strongest way to make the rotten ANC in council pay for their shocking disregard of basic constitutional rights and human dignity is to throw them out of office. We can do that by flipping one seat though it would be better if we could secure a solid majority, which is the aim in 2026.
For the Ward 10 by-election of 26 November 2025, MCF has nominated a highly- regarded candidate, Thembinkosi Master Ngeleza. He is a successful businessman and a growing number of long-time ANC supporters are throwing their weight behind our campaign because they are sick of the ANC rot. We invite residents and businesses to follow our campaign on Facebook and to throw their weight behind our extremely capable candidate.
Lungile Mxube is leader of Makana Citizens Front and a PR councillor.
