The MSDF Chairperson, Potso Motoko, says the forum has on countless occasions engaged with political leaders and the powers-that-be about ailing service delivery across towns in the troubled metro but no viable solutions have been attained to date. He says the forum has gone out of its way to seek the attention of President Cyril Ramphosa, whilst overlooking premier Sisi Ntombela, and MEC for Cooperative Governance (Cogta) ,Mxolisi Dukwana, citing failure to address these issues. Potso says they are hell-bent on making sure that they deal with the pertinent issue which affects the poor and residents who have been left to live in squalor.

“We are not attention seekers, but we want justice for our people, we want our economy back, we want service delivery, we want jobs for all. [We made agreements with them during those intervention meetings but when it was time to implement the decisions - that’s when they failed us. They are not doing that, when they need to hold people accountable, they don’t do that, also when they have to open cases against people, they don’t do that],” he adds.  

The shutdown march is set to commence on 19 January 2022. Motoko says the officials have failed to respond to their previous demands. The group last year held a series of protests which includes the protest against the Department of Health's Bophelo House, Premier of the Free State Sisi Ntombela, and the Department of Small Business Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs (Destea). 

The group also protested against the previously planned establishment of the Mangaung Metro Police, which was later shot down by Treasury.

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