"What services are we paying for?"
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Following an action plan tabled between the Makhado Municipality and the Soutpansberg Ratepayers Association (SRPA) last year, Eltivillas residents’ frustrations in respect of poor service delivery have continued to mount.
Besides living through last week’s colossal water crisis in Louis Trichardt, Eltivillas residents and businessmen still had to deal with lacerated streets and hawker markets that reeked.
An on-site visit by the Zoutpansberger in Eltivillas on 20 January echoed residents’ complaints and concerns. As far as the eye could see, rotten refuse lined the streets, and not only in the business complex, but in the residential area as well.
According to the SRPA/municipal action plan, First, Fifth and Sixth Street in Eltivillas were earmarked for rehabilitation and included in the multi-year programme from 2011 to 2013. This programme will be funded by the Municipal Infrastructure Grant.
Business owners in the Eltivillas complex, who want to remain anonymous out of fear of intimidation, confirmed that no refuse had been removed for two days at the time of the newspaper’s visit. Municipal concrete litter bins that had been placed along the sidewalks in the complex were removed. Six months later, these bins have not been returned.
Needless to say, this situation has forced people to make their own arrangements in respect of refuse removal. This begs the question, as more than one resident asked during the visit, “What services are we paying for?”
When questioned about the litter bins, municipal spokesperson Mr Louis Bobodi said that they were removed to be repainted “in order to improve the view of the area.”
“Unfortunately, we ran out of paint before we could paint the remaining ones that were supposed to be placed on the pavement…,” he added.
Bobodi gave the assurance that the bins will be “nicely painted and delivered to the complex.” He gave no indication when this will happen.
About the action plan, Bobodi confirmed that it will “be implemented to the letter in order to ensure that the mandate of effective and efficient service delivery is realised."
