The Boikhutso Extension 3 community in the Ditsobotla Local Municipality in the North West continues to suffer because of failing infrastructure, lack of clean water, no access to electricity, and impassable roads.
Residents of Ditsobotla municipality, disbanded in September because of infighting, are looking forward to Wednesday’s by-elections wherein they will elect new leaders from the myriad of political parties that have been promising better services.
Fifteen political parties and two independent candidates are fighting to wrestle control in the forthcoming Ditsobotla by-elections, trying to wrestle control of the municipality away from the ANC.
The ANC held 21 seats in the council while the opposition parties held 18 with the EFF having six seats.
The ANC won the municipality’s local elections in 2021 with 51% of the vote. All 20 ward seats and 19 Proportional Representation (PR) seats will be up for grabs in upcoming by-elections.
Today it was the EFF’s turn to try and woo the voters and the CIC Julius Malema came with promises of change and an end to corruption when residents complained to him about their living conditions when he made a stop at Boikhutso.
Baby Masaye complained that she has had to walk to the township for water since she lives in a two-roomed shack. She said there was no running water for three days in a stretch and this made life unbearable.
“It hurts to push my wheelbarrow that far without finding any water,” she said while pleading with Malema and other political leaders to save their constituents from the pain and humiliation.
Keikantseng Leshage said she can’t wait to cast a ballot on Wednesday because she is optimistic that change is coming after she was let down by the ANC.
“Waking up to unclean streets and sewerage overflow is not good,” she said, adding that she will vote for the EFF come Wednesday.
Addressing the residents Malema said people must stop being addicted to the African National Congress.
“ANC is a drug to you, you are an addict, you go and vote leaving your house without water, and after having such an experience, you go and vote for ANC again. You don’t have roads, you are unemployed, you don’t have electricity, they come and give you a T-shirt, we are in this mess because of the T-shirts,” he said.
He urged the youth to take control of the situation by voting for EFF.
“We have reached a point where we say enough is enough, you are the solution, you’ve got the power to change your conditions here in Ditsobotla,” he said.
