MUSINA – The Provincial Cabinet’s imbizo, led by Premier Sello Moloto at the Musina Skoonplaas Stadium last Wednesday, came and went. It remains to be seen whether his strategy to resolve the longstanding socio-political unrest in the area will be effective or not.

Members of the Executive Council, led by Premier Sello Moloto, heard how RDP houses were allegedly sold to illegal immigrants by corrupt municipal officials, and allegations of irregularities in the awarding of tenders were also highlighted.

More concerns and questions raised at the imbizo were about poor service delivery by the Musina Municipality.

Mr Isaac Makushu told the premier that people were identified as recipients of RDP houses, but illegal foreigners are occupying the houses. An elderly woman added that she was verbally promised an RDP house by a municipal official, but a Zimbabwean immigrant currently occupies the house. Residents also expressed their grave concerns about municipal workers’ occupying two posts.

“We felt that the mayor, Alderman Phologa, who is also a teacher, must surrender one post,” but the MEC of Education, Dr Aaron Motsoaledi, said there was no problem with Phologa’s and others’ occupying more than one post at a time.

Allegations were also raised that municipal workers are receiving food parcels that are intended for the poor. While other residents accused the municipality of selling the houses to illegal immigrants, certain residents, however, defended the municipality and said that people themselves are selling their RDP houses to the foreigners with the intention of creating a bad name for the council.

Frustration about the allocation of RDP houses led to a group of residents’ building shacks on the western side of the border town without the approval of the council on January 30, this year. They named their place Sihlala nge nkani (We stay by force).

The imbizo came to a halt for a while when the MEC for Local Government and Housing, Ms Maite Mashabane Nkoane said: “We are no longer going to take more questions,” after the outspoken Senkie “nonsense” Makushu appeared as if he was going to join the queu to raise questions. Suddenly, a crew of policemen surrounded Makushu, but just before they could take him to the local holding cells, the Premier ordered them to leave him.

In resolving the problems of the residents, Moloto requested the Sanco Sub-region chairperson in Musina, Senkie Makushu, Eugene Khosa of the Greater Musina Unemployment Forum and mayor Phologa to come forward and commit themselves to working together. He said the trio, together with a team from the Provincial Department of Housing, would go from door to door at Sihlala nge nkani to find out if those residents did not sell their houses to the foreigners, as well as find out if they were on the priority list to receive houses. The Premier then proposed that the name Sihlala nge nkani be changed to Extension 7.

Moloto promised that 300 units will be developed for the people in Extension 7, while the residents will be temporarily moved in the area. However, Makushu said :“Ever since the construction of RDP houses commenced, we have never heard of beneficiaries being moved from their places, so that the houses could be built; we are not going to allow that to happen.”