Residents of Mamahule outside Polokwane in Limpopo are angry that they have been excluded from the service delivery budget of the Polokwane Municipality. They blocked off the major road between Mankweng and Polokwane with burning tyres, earlier on Monday.
There is also a dispute with a private owner over the territory they occupy. It is alleged that the residents built houses on the land illegally.
The Mamahule land dispute has been causing confusion between its private owner, the Department of Land Reform, the Polokwane Municipality and the residents who allegedly invaded it. As a result, there is no provision of services from the municipality on the land along the R71 road between Polokwane and Mankweng.
Residents want the area to be included in the 2021-2022 budget of the Polokwane Municipality.
“Service delivery, which is water and electricity … those two things are our basic rights and needs. We are not happy because we are excluded at the budget. We need electricity. It is dark here. We need water because water is a basic right. We can’t go on. We are longer in the IDP. We need clarity on that,” one resident told SABC News.
Municipal Spokesperson, Thipa Selala, says they will divulge the details of the situation in the area after meeting with the residents and officials from the Land Reform Department.
The Polokwane Municipality also says since the land is privately owned, the owner must apply for services at the municipality.
Eleven people are currently on trial at the Seshego Regional Court for allegedly selling stands in Mamahule.
Meanwhile, three people were shot and wounded and a house burnt down during a land dispute in the area two months ago.
