The service-delivery-starved community of Gelebe-Zwavhavhili, Tshikosi 1 and 2 in the Lwamondo area outside Thohoyandou, can now sigh with relief.

This after the newly elected Sanco committee in the area prioritised service delivery as their main focal point. The committee was elected during a mass meeting at the local primary school on Sunday morning.

The previous executive was dissolved after being found to have been dysfunctional, which members acknowledged during the meeting.

Mr Shadrack Rammbuda, who has been heading the interim structure after the dissolution of the previous structure, was unanimously elected to chair the committee, Mr Musiwalo Mudau as the deputy chairperson, Tshifhiwa Midana as the secretary, Ms Queen Mhlongo as deputy-secretary, Elelwani Matsenene as the treasurer while Mr Norman Ramagwedzha was elected the organizing secretary.

Rammbuda said the community had been compromised, as no project had been undertaken the previous year, due to challenges in the committee. He said their relationship with local traditional leadership had suffered as there was a communication breakdown, which led to no development taking place in the village. He added that the new committee had already identified areas which needed urgent attention.

One of them was to quickly renew their working relationship with the local traditional leadership, so that they could chart the way together on how they could develop the area, engage the municipality to provide water, which is very scarce in some parts of the village, and crime, which has become like a plaque in the area.

He said the intersection to Vuwani was the main target for thugs who wait there in the dark for unsuspecting victims who are then mugged or even raped.

He also mentioned that the committee would not focus on the collection of death contributions, but on service delivery. He added that much time was lost preparing for funerals, which could be done by others instead of focusing on service delivery.