Some residents of Mahikeng in the North West have threatened to boycott the upcoming local government elections if the local municipality fails to respond to their demands by the weekend. The group, under the banner of the Mahikeng Revival Forum, says the municipality must be placed under administration for its failure to provide basic services.
Residents says Mahikeng is in a state of decay, litter is everywhere, the roads are in poor condition, traffic lights do not work and there is erratic water provision.
The frustrated residents picketed in front of the municipality to voice their concerns.
“And it is not only water. The streets are horrible. Our cars … we are spending lots of money to repair our cars,” says one of the residents.
Leader of the Mahikeng Revival Forum, Kgosietsile Sehularo, says they may even boycott the local government elections if their demands are not met.
“Any failure to respond as requested may lead to any of the following; more picketing or marches being organised in the future and or a boycott of the elections and/or the ruling party becoming severely punished at the ballot box.”
But Themba Damaniti from the Mahikeng Local Municipality says they are addressing the community’s concerns.
“We know that Mahikeng is the capital city of the North West. We need to acknowledge that we need to bring back the dignity of our people by cleaning it. That is why there are better programmes reinforced to clean our town.”
The community is now waiting to see if the municipality will respond to their demands and begin to restore Mahikeng to its former glory.
