The "power mongering" between two Sanco groups in Madombidzha village has forced Vhamusanda's kraal and the Madombidzha community to pronounce that none of the bodies will be recognised. This was during a community gathering on Saturday.

The first Sanco "branch" was launched on 21 March with Mr Patrick Manyabwa Mulaudzi as chairperson, and the second one on 28 September. Mr George Budzwa was elected as chairperson for the second group.

The fact that there are two Sanco branches in the village has caused a lot of confusion, to the extent that the community requested the Sanco regional office to send delagates to come to inform them who, between the two groups, the real Sanco branch was.

Sanco's Vhembe regional secretary, Marcus Malume, who arrived with his chairperson, Owen Makhubele, told the kraal that the Sanco branch led by Mulaudzi was the legitimate one.

Budzwa stood up and told the kraal that he didn't know the two delegates from the Sanco Vhembe regional office. “They (Malume and Makhubele) are nobodies in the Sanco structure,” said Budzwa. “Our regional chairperson is Magdaline Netshiavha, and not Makhubele. If we were given the time, we would have requested the regional chairperson of Sanco Vhembe to come and tell all the people here about the real structure of Sanco.”

Makhubele said that Vho-Progress Kutama is the provincial chairperson of Sanco, while Budzwa named Mesina Masekoameng for that position.

Many residents raised concerns that Sanco was only bringing its politics into the kraal. “These two Sanco groups are all out for power mongering and as such we should disband both groups and call for a gathering where the community will elect a new Sanco,” said another resident, Peter Masia.

Vhamusanda Vho-Ntsundeni Sinthumule eventually rose to speak: “It is always good for a khoro (kraal, community meeting led by a traditional leader) to work hand in hand with Sanco.

“But in situations where one group say that they are the legitimate group and the other is not the legitimate one, or vice versa, we are forced to say this: As khoro, we neither know of nor are recognising any of the two groups as Sanco. We pronounce both structures null.”

He then instructed both groups to go back and resolve the problem between themselves and told them that this should be done outside the confines of the khoro. “We are unable to work with two Sancos in one and the same village, because this confusion will end up hampering service delivery in this village,” said Sinthumule.

Both Sanco branches stated that their provincial leadership would report to the national Sanco president, Ruth Bengu.

When contacted for comment, Bengu said that she could not speak for the branches. “All I can tell you is that Mesina Masekoameng is the provincial chairperson of Sanco,” she said.

“We have already told all other parallel structures who claim to have another provincial chairperson than Mesina that they should go back and join legitimate Sanco branches if they want to be recognised as legitimate Sanco members.”