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Another Free State town shut down due to poor service delivery

───   TSHEHLA KOTELI 11:00 Thu, 25 May 2023

Another Free State town shut down due to poor service delivery | News Article
PHOTO: Supplied

Residents of Ficksburg in the Free State have shut down the area, together with the R26 which connects Zastron with Villiers via Bethlehem.

It's understood that the portion of the provincial route which is affected is between Clocolan and Ficksburg. 

The DA in the Setsoto Local Municipality is firmly opposing the shutdown, emphasising that it is not a legally sanctioned form of protest. “While we understand and empathise with the community's frustrations regarding their demands and the lack of service delivery, we cannot endorse or support this particular endeavour,” said Riette Dell. They are of the view that the most effective way to bring about change in service delivery is through organised and constructive means of engagement.

“The DA is committed to amplifying the grievances of the community as outlined in the call for the shutdown. We will strive to ensure that these concerns are heard and addressed in the council,” stated Dell. According to a list of grievances by the residents, it is alleged that the municipality has not allocated any formalised housing/sites since the dawn of democracy in 1994. One of their concerns is the lack of communication between the municipality and the community.

The memorandum reads: “We urge the municipality to attend to people’s needs. Our community is suffocating in sewages that have flooded our streets”. The residents are of the view that the sectional shedding fuels criminality around the area, thus they call for an increase in megawatts capacity because the area is growing. “We need a 24-hour clinic, a police station in the location, and access roads,” concluded the notice of the shutdown.

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