“Municipal services are only for the friends of the ANC or for those who say Ja Baas to the ANC.” This complaint was brought up by a member of the Hlanganani Concerned Group at a recent meeting in Louis Trichardt.

“I’m creating a new word: Vendalised. Services go to the one who speaks Tshivenda,” said Mr Donald Mlati, Shangaan-speaking attendant of the annual general meeting of the Chairpersons Association, held at the Bergwater Hotel on April 2.

Mr Mlati informed the guest speaker at the meeting that the situation is “very bad” in the rural areas. Apart from the influence of party politics in the Makhado Municipality which the Shangaans have experienced, they are also said to have to cope with tribalism within the ANC.

“Even staunch ANC followers and councillors who are Shangaans don’t manage to get services. With us Shangaans it is bad. Where the Shangaans stay, there are no services - the services are nil. Where we used to have water, today there is nothing,” Mlati said.

The guest speaker, Mr Jaap Kelder of the National Taxpayers Union, said that their association was not affiliated to any political party. Kelder, who has travelled extensively to most towns in South Africa, told the complainant that all the minority groups are complaining bitterly.

“Get yourselves organised. You can join with the local ratepayers association as a basis to confront local government,” Kelder said. Earlier on, Kelder reminded the meeting that vandalising municipal offices or harassing councillors does not solve problems. An alternative should be found in a peaceful and orderly way.

An important question was asked by Mr Jeffrey Gohell of the Hlanganani Concerned Group. Gohell wanted to know if one can be blacklisted for withholding municipal rates. Recently, the Soutpansberg Rate Payers Association declared a dispute with the Makhado Municipality mostly due to lack of service delivery and are currently withholding rates by paying the monies into a trust account. Kelder answered that, according to the law, one cannot be blacklisted when a dispute has been declared and, in the case of such a legitimate dispute, Council is prohibited from applying credit control. One’s electricity cannot be cut off either.

The meeting heard that municipalities are compelled by law to talk to community based organisations and if they don’t, the organisations can make that part of the dispute.