A bridge over the Molototsi River in Limpopo would mean that kids can get to school, the elderly would have access to health services and teachers would have access to the primary school where they are supposed to teach.
Residents from Makhurupetsi, Mamkata and Raobothata in the Duiwelskloof area are isolated from other communities and the economic hubs of the region when the rainy season starts in September each year.
For seven months these residents are cut off from the rest of the world because their appeals for a bridge over the Molototsi River have fallen on deaf ears for almost three decades.
A resident from the area reported this on Mobilitate and asked for urgent intervention from the Greater Letaba local municipality and the Mopani district municipality.
“This has been an issue since I was born 29 years ago. I went through the ordeal and it breaks my heart to see kids and elders still go through the same ordeal 18 years into the democracy,” said the resident.
Some time ago a child drowned in the river because he was desperate to get to school to write his exams.
Residents have died because emergency vehicles were unable to access the area.
“Our councillor knows about this issue very well, we've been communicating about this since the previous councillor’s tenure but nothing seems to come of it. I've tried communicating with the local municipality and our cries are falling on deaf ears. Honestly speaking, we are stuck and there is no one to help us.”
At the end of 2012 the mayors of the Greater Letaba and Mopani municipalities promised resident during a community imbizo that a multi-million rand bridge over the Molototsi River would be constructed.
Back then Mopani district municipal spokesperson Mashadi Mathosa said R20 million had been allocated in the budget for 2011-12.
Residents said they really needed a straight answer from the Greater Letaba local municipality and the Mopani district municipality.
“We need to know whether we'll ever get service delivery from them or not, so that we are able to map the way forward.”
Mobilitate contacted the Greater Letaba local municipality and was told by an official that they were aware of the situation.
The official even admitted that he lived in the area and understood the challenges but said that it would have to form part of the Integrated Development Plan (IDP) before the construction of a bridge could be approved.
Mobilitate also sent the issue to the municipality’s local economic development officer and attempted to make contact with the mayor but he was unavailable.
The Mopani district municipality could not be reached for comment.
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