A 31-year-old Raynie Busby, who studied project management at a higher institution of learning in Bloemfontein, says she is distraught about the developments in the town.

She says she has been searching for a job since completing her schooling in 2010.

She accuses the municipality of not hiring the youth. Instead, the municipality hires people from outside the town, from Welkom and Botshabelo, amongst other towns.

She says the locals are forced to travel as far as Bloemfontein to look for temporary jobs with no meaningful income to sustain them and their families.

As OFM News entered the town it was met by the harsh reality of life troubling the residents.
Burned tyres and rocks are barricading the routes whereas kids as young as 10 to 15 are seen roaming the streets.

Busby's mother, who is also a retired nurse, told OFM News that she is concerned about the lack of job opportunities in the town. She says since her retirement in 2010 she had to endure some of the most painful experiences of living in poverty.

She says they sometimes go without electricity and water the whole day as they owe the municipality thousands of rands and if they default on paying, the municipality is quick to switch off water and electricity.

Meanwhile, the violence in the area has left schools closed for over two months now as a result of the violent protests.

Angry residents wants the embattled mayor, Thandiwe Reachable, and mayoral council to leave office with immediate effect. 

They say if the mayor and mayoral council fail to vacate office, the town will never experience peace and calm.

The residents accuse her of spewing division within the community through corruption and the lack of service delivery, amongst others.

OFM News previously reported that two houses, belonging to locals who the residents accused of being sellouts, were torched and burned down to the ground.

OFM News