Premier Mabuza
promises a new settlement for Masakhane community
Mpumalanga Premier David Mabuza has committed to build a new
settlement for the Masakhane community residing adjacent the Duvha Power
Station in Emalahleni Municipality.
Premier Mabuza visited the area on Saturday, as part of his
three-day visit around the mining communities in the Municipality since
Thursday to assess the state of service delivery. He had visited Thubelisha,
Rietsfontein, Phola and Masakhane, in Kriel, Ogies and Duvha mines
respectively.
Although the Premier discovered similar problems of
unemployment and lack of the RDP houses in all the areas, it was only at
Masakhane where Mabuza conceded that their state of living was “horrible” 20
years into democracy. He said the Masakhane citizens had not tasted the fruits
of democracy as the area they were residing in had no services at all, hence a
commitment to move them to a new land with serviced stands.
“What I see here is not good at all. We will move all of you
to a new beautiful place where you will be like the rest of the South Africans.
We will be taking you to ‘Canaan’ where you will be provided with RDP houses,
electricity, water and sanitation,” said Mabuza.
The area is extremely impoverished regardless of it being a
stone-throw away from one of the power stations, although the population is
only 1 700 people, they survive on social grants, there are no basic services
including sanitation. Not impressed by the situation and the well-being of the
people, the Premier has subsequently called for a mobile clinic to be urgently
sent in the area to provide medical check-ups.
“The few families I have met here do not look healthy at
all. It is clear that people here survive only on social grants; in as much
this is a crucial support the government is making to our people, we cannot
raise our children with social grants. You can tell that even the children here
do not eat well, this is going to impact badly on their maturity and probably
their education,” said Mabuza.
Earlier in the day, Mabuza had visited three families before
addressing a community meeting; he ended up donating cash in order for them to
buy some food as their children were visibly starving.
“We will speed up this new development, I will make your new
area beautiful because this government was voted by you and you equally deserve
to benefit from it,” said Mabuza.
He told them that they will however have to pay for the
services and the people publicly and unanimously agreed on grounds that they would
be provided with the houses.
The Premier explained that he would convene a special
committee comprising of representatives from his office, community and mining
sector to handle employment matters in the mines. This follows a complaint that
certain groups begged for jobs at the mines in the name of communities only to
give them to their relatives and friends.
He was further told that people were being evicted from the
houses they benefitted from the mines for long service. He said such would have
to stop and the new committee would have to deal with problems experienced by
both the community and the mines.
“We do not want to hear of any groups going to the mines and
claim to represent the communities, we will do it ourselves. I am going to take
over, we will be your mouth and ears, and we will bring you feedback directly
from the mines.
“As a provincial government, we are establishing a good
relationship with the mining sector, we have many good ideas where we need
their involvement in partnering with us as part of their social responsibility,
but they will have to stop evicting you from your houses until we have met and
agreed on certain things,” said Mabuza.
He promised that he would maintain the schools, clinics and
community halls, however, children needed to go and study. He said it was
shocking that most learners in around the mines were not interested in studying
instead they were giving birth to babies, and most of them did not have matric
as they dropped out of school due to pregnancy.
“Our hope is in our youth because we believe they will
continue to run the country after we have died. If we invest in the youth, we
are investing on our future. I am therefore urging the youth to be constructive
because our future is in their hands,” said Mabuza.
As part of his Kancane
Kancane legacy project, Mabuza further committed to build three houses for
two child-headed families and one for the elderly women who was looking after
her grandchildren in Phola
Township.
