The newly appointed mayor of Makhado Municipality was officially sworn in at a well-attended ceremony that was held at the Louis Trichardt Show Grounds last Saturday.

Luruli was inaugurated and welcomed to the Makhado Municipality by the MEC for Local Government and Housing in Limpopo, Maite Nkoana Mashabane. In her address during the ceremony, Mashabane said that the inauguration of the new mayor at Makhado marked an epoch of change. She added: “If we can work together, we are going to do more. Unity is the most essential thing. Luruli is going to be the mayor of all of us. As the Mayor you must not demand respect, but rather com-mand it.”

According to Mashabane, the economic growth of the province is not living up to expectations. She said the Makhado Municipality has been given the name of the “Warrior King, Makhado,” but it is not functioning and operating properly. She told Luruli that: “I know that you are not a fresh councillor. You have been in local govern-ment for a long time now and we hope that you are going to bring about the turn-around strategies needed for this municipality.”

The ceremony was attended by, amongst others, the Speaker of the Limpopo Legislature, Dr Tshenuwani Farisani, Thovhele Vho-Vusani Netshimbupfe, Thovhele Vho-Fhumulani Kutama, the municipal manager of the Vhembe District Municipality, Muthotho Sigidi, the municipal manager of Musina Municipality, Mr Abram Luruli, the mu-nicipal manager of Makhado Municipality, Ms Faith Muthambi, leaders from various political organisations and many others.

According to reports, the new mayor was inaugurated while the municipality is currently in crisis and not functioning properly. Among the municipality’s problems is the fact that it is owed more than R77 Million for services rendered. Meanwhile, Mashabane urged residents owing the municipality money to settle their accounts, as it impacts on service delivery.

On behalf of Khosikhulu Vho-Toni Mphephu Ramabulana, Thovhele Vho-Fhumulani Kutama said that it had been 16 years since the dawn of a new political dispensation, but poor service delivery was still a challenge. “As traditional leaders we are expecting something different from the new mayor. We need to see services such as water, roads, electricity, schools, etc. being provided to the people,” he said.

He further indicated that it was high time that the government started to establish projects in the communities that would address poverty alleviation. Kutama told the mayor during the inauguration that traditional leaders were aware that there was nepotism within the municipality and that it must be stopped with immediate effect.

“We know that tenders are not allocated to the relevant people. Communication between traditional leaders and the municipality must also be strengthened,” said Kutama, adding that he believed that the new mayor would be able to unite all the groups that are fighting within the municipality.

According to Mashabane, her department was planning to build a purification plant in Makhado at a cost of R3 million, which she be-lieves will boost the municipality’s ability to address the water challenges in town and the surrounding villages. “We don’t want to see a PHD (pull her down) syndrome. The core business must always be about service delivery,” emphasized Mashabane.

During her acceptance speech, Luruli said that it was really an honour and privilege for her to stand before the people of Louis Trichardt and address them as the newly inaugurated mayor of Makhado. She promised always to ensure that there is provision of service to communities in a sustainable manner. She further encouraged the involvement of communities in the affairs of the municipality. “I also want to urge community members to pay for the services which the municipality is pro-viding to them,” Luruli said.