Residents demand an access bridge to access clinic and schools

MAFARAFARA
With the summer season upon us, Mafarafara residents outside Burgersfort in the Fetakgomo Tubatse Local Municipality (FTLM) are pleading with the municipality to erect an access bridge in the village. The residents are fearing that overflowing rivers will put their lives at risk.
During a recent visit by the Sekhukhune Times to the area, we discovered that the villagers still use the sewaiwai to cross the Tubatse River (Steelpoort River). The people tie a rope to the trees at each end of the river, then get into the steel cart and cross by sliding to the other end.
This unique form of transport is used by the elderly to visit the Taung Clinic and also by some pupils who attend schools in villages like Taung and Makwataseng.
The cart carries a maximum of four adults to cross the 150m-wide river. In addition, the villagers, many of whom are unemployed, have to pay between R5 – R1O per trip to cross the water.
The residents said the sewaiwai has helped sick people to cross the river.
“We have no clinic at Mafarafara and the closest healthcare facility is Taung Clinic, but we have to risk our lives by crossing the flooded river to get there. Our alternative clinic is the one at Kgautšwana, but it is a bit far from our village,” said a resident.
The Tubatse River separates Mafarafara, and most local villages.
In 2023, the residents said they requested the FTLM ‘s mayor, Eddie Maila, to ensure an access bridge is erected at the village with no luck.
“Scores of people are risking their lives using the sewaiwai, but they have no choice because the government is not providing a solution. We urge Maila and his team to consider our challenges and build a bridge for the Mafarafara people,” said another resident.

They alleged their village is always ignored in terms of services. “There is no tar road, we have no water and services at our village are at a snail’s pace.”

This publication forwarded queries to the FTLM’s communications manager, Mahlako Komane, to find out if there are plans to erect an access bridge at Mafarafara. The response will be published once received.

The sewaiwai is not new to the people of Fetakgomo Tubatse. This makeshift cart was previously used by some residents of Mankele to cross the Olifants River (Lepelle) before a bridge was constructed by the Limpopo government in 2012.