The agricultural union TAU SA North says that more mass action can be expected.

In a media release following the protest march against the Makhado Municipality on August 28, chairperson Mr Jan Viljoen said that more and more communities were being pushed beyond what they can bear.

“The time of fat cat councillors and officials is nearing its end. Commercial agriculture is looking forward to the time when local municipalities are again seen as service centres and not a pot of gold for corrupt councillors and officials,” Mr Viljoen said. The union warned that if government services collapsed, people would go hungry, since food security is directly linked to good quality water and other infra-structure, such as roads.

Mr Stephen Hoffman, chairperson of the Soutpansberg District Agricultural Union, congratulated the Soutpansberg Rate Payers Association on a successful march.

“Those participating in the march were well behaved and no violence, intimidation or any other form of lawlessness was reported. People from all the different communities participated in a show of solidarity and unity against the massive decay of services and incompetence,” Hoff-man said.

The MEC for Local Government and Housing, Mr Soviet Lekganyane, did not turn up to receive the memorandum from the ratepayers. His office said this week that they were under the im-pression that all issues that would be raised at the march had been dealt with at the meeting on August 27.

“It seems as if the MEC thought that a meeting, one of many over the past years, could solve any problem. This is a mistake on his part. Meeting upon meeting solves nothing. Proper service delivery will stop mass action. It is now time that the provincial and national governments came to the fore with new and innovative plans. It is clear that the current style just does not work,” Hoffman stated.

The DAU expressed its disgust with the fact that, in the absence of the MEC, the mayor of Makhado Municipality did not appear to receive the memorandum either.

“The mayor of the Makhado Municipality, Cllr Luruli, apparently ran away to Tshilvhawusiku. Neither the municipal manager nor any of the directors had the guts to accept the petition …” stated the DAU.