Moeding Villagers disgruntled over poor roads

Moeding

Residents of Moeding Village in Ephraim Mogale Local Municipality (EPMLM) Ward 11, are demanding the local municipality to maintain and upgrade their internal roads.

According to the community, the roads in the village are full of dongas and inaccessible making it very difficult for motorists to access the village.

A community member who did not want to be named, said they have been pleading with EPMLM for many years to upgrade the roads but were given a cold shoulder.

“It is very difficult for motorists to drive on our roads because of their poor condition. It becomes worse during rainy season because the drivers are unable to see the dongas and many cars get stuck and some are damaged,” she said.

She added that residents have to walk 3kms to catch taxis and buses as public transport such as minibus taxis and Great North buses could no longer access the village due to the poor condition of the main road.  She said they don’t get services from ambulances and the police because of the poor state of their roads.

“It is more difficult for the elderly and people living with disabilities because they cannot walk that distance and have to dig in their pockets to hire special transports to take them to their destinations. It is a pity because most of the villagers are living below the poverty line and cannot afford to pay for the special transport and have to sometimes postpone their important trips,” she said.

According to the residents, during a meeting held in September 2023, the community raised concerns with EPMLM Mayor Cllr Given Moimana regarding the poor state of roads. They said Moimana promised them to contact Roads Agency Limpopo (RAL) and committed that the upgrading of their roads will start in January 2024.

“No response was given by Moimana ever since and we are still in vain waiting for the upgrade until today,” she said.

Last month, angry residents of Moeding embarked on a rampage blockading all access roads with stones and burning tires. They were demanding Moimana to come and address them on when they should expect their roads to be upgraded.

The community dispersed after Moimana arrived and promised them that he will come and address their poor roads issues in a meeting scheduled for 1 April 2024 at Moeding SASSA Pay Point.

Residents claim that Moimana did not show up to the meeting and they feel like he is not taking them serious. The community is vowing to return to the streets to vent their anger if Moimana continues to ignore their plea.

“We are fed up with lies, this is enough and we are going to boycott the upcoming election if the municipality fails to address our road issues. We are going to prevent IEC officials from entering our village,” she said.

At the time of going to press, EPMLM Spokesperson, Percy Moagi, said he could not comment, stating that he is still waiting for a response from the responsible department.