Residents of Matibidi, near Graskop, under Thabachewu municipality jurisdiction in Mpumalanga province, claim they are being ignored by political parties.
Residents heightened their frustrations during the Forum 4 Service Delivery (F4SD) provincial manifesto launch.
At least 12 political parties in the region are cooperating in preparation for May's national and local elections. They will fight under the umbrella of F4SD.
Matibidi is under the umbrella of the African National Congress (ANC), but locals want change. Like many rural areas in the country, the region remains in dire need of services. And unemployment is rampant.
“Our councilors are focused now and only work with ANC members. If there is a job opportunity, we will give the job to ANC members. And the other challenge is that in Ward 6 we have a separate section. “We are promised electricity during the election period, but once the election period is over, even the electricity problem stops,” said a resident.
“We are facing a big problem because the unemployment rate is increasing day by day and the country is being decimated due to load shedding. So I don't have much to give. AUM and I think the F4SD coalition leaders can probably change the government and maybe our young people can get better jobs for everyone,” added another resident.
“We are struggling in this area. We do not have proper roads. They are not paved, so when it rains it is difficult. What we need most is water. We can spend a whole month and there is no one to represent us. When the water system breaks down, it breaks down. If we vote for this party now, they will We hope that they will take pity on us and maybe help us provide services,” the resident said.
Founded nine years ago, F4SD prides itself on tackling service delivery challenges.
“So we came together to share knowledge, mainly to share resources and to be able to share our members in the field as well. As you know, political parties at the local level don't have the funds, so this has been difficult. So we have come together to make sure that at the national level we are out of balance. I told him,” he says.
Dr. Mbahale Kekana, Chairman of F4SD;
One of the smaller parties working with F4SD is the African Unity Movement (AUM). Now celebrating its third anniversary, the organization hopes to bring about change in local government.
“People are still struggling with water, and many people are sharing water with their animals. Many households do not have electricity. The city of Tabacue employs too many incompetent people. Therefore, if you are not involved in politics, it means that you will always be unemployed. Our goal is to submit to Congress with f4sd and be able to participate in policy making in Congress,” said AUM Chairman Peter Makhubela said.
AUM hopes to run and win the 2026 local government elections.
AUM and F4SD release provincial election manifesto in Matibidi, Mpumalanga:
– Report by Nhlanhla Jele
