Residents of Siyanqoba in Emalahleni, Mpumalanga, have threatened not to vote next week if they continue to live in the dark.
The residents alleged that since they were allocated their RDP houses in 2022, they have never had electricity and potable water.
The residents claim that the Emalahleni Local Municipality promised to electrify the houses but to date, nothing has happened.
However, the Emalahleni Local Municipality says Siyanqoba is not the only area facing electrification challenges.
Siyanqoba is a formal settlement without basic services such as potable water and electricity in the Emalahleni Local Municipality in Mpumalanga.
The residents took to the streets on Monday barricading the road to Verena with burning tyres and metal objects- demanding electricity.
Electrification done in phases
The Emalahleni Local Municiplaity confirmed that the beneficiaries occupied the RDP houses without electricity and water. Municipal Manager, Sizwe Mayisela, says electrification of the houses is being done in phases, due to budgetary constraints.
“It is not only Siyanqoba that is faced with the challenge of not having electricity, we have other settlements in and around Emalahleni municipality which we also need to electricity. Every financial year, we determine a number of certain houses in Siyanqoba. In this financial year, we have electrified 385 houses – so in the coming financial year – we will electrifying a certain number of houses,” says Mayisela.
Mayisela has acknowledged that there are also water challenges in that settlement and that a private mining company was trying to assist with the provision of water by drilling a borehole in the area.
“We dug some boreholes and that borehole with elevated steal tank is supplying a number of houses and we have tested the other portion of Siyanqoba to check whether can we dig some boreholes there as well. Unfortunately, as you can see Emalahleni is a mining town and some of the underground water is not suitable for human consumption. We are currently busy with a project to provide bulk services to Siyanqoba, the bulk services are coming from what we call point a reservoir,” Mayisela explains.
HRC expresses disappointment
The Human Rights Commission stated its disappointment that government allocated houses to its beneficiaries without basic services.
“As the Human Rights Commission, we are deeply and terrible disturbed by reports that there are communities who have been allocated houses in and around Siyanqoba in Emalaheni Local Municipality without proper water and sanitation infrastructure, and there seems to be no effort from government side to correct the situation,” says Human Rights Provincial Manager Erich Mokoanyama.
The Human Rights Commission says it would conduct an inspection in the area to get first hand information.
Mokoanyama says the municipality must be held accountable.
