The Mandebele-Ba-Lebelo Traditional Council of Majaneng, Hammanskraal met with members of the community and local SANCO branch at Mashemong Section 4 on Sunday to iron out service delivery issues that are plaguing the area.
The tribe falls under Kgosi KC Kekana and the tribe’s head woman Anna Kekana admitted that there are service delivery problems in Mashemong and that they as traditional leaders have answered the call to come and listen to the grievances of the Mashemong Section 4 community.
“It was for the first time that we were engaging the Mashemong Section 4 community after a period spanning decades and as we are a new Council we realise that we must continuously engage the community in order to resolve ongoing service delivery issues in the area,” she said.
Mandebele-Ba-Lebelo Traditional Council of Majaneng, head woman Anna Kekana photo by Dimakatso Modipa
She revealed that some of the issues facing the Mashemong Section 4 community include graveyards which are neglected and storm water drainage systems which are not working as well as floods which occur regularly in the area.
“As a Council we must not ignore these issues and the floods might be worse next time around so as community representatives we realise that if it comes to a push some residents of Mashemong Section 4 will have to be relocated somewhere where it is safer to avoid a situation whereby they get flooded during heavy rains,” she said.
Community of Majaneng Section 4 in Hammanskraal Tshwane photo by Dimakatso Modipa
She said a piece of land will have to be allocated to the relocated residents in this regard.
“We fall under the Tshwane Municipality and it is the responsibility of the Tshwane Municipality together with the Kekana traditional leadership to render services in cases such as floods and storms,” she said.
“As the Kekana traditional royal family we need to work together with the City of Tshwane regarding any challenges facing our community and this meeting with the Mashemong Section 4 community is the first one but certainly not the last one because another meeting will be convened whereby we will invite local Ward 76 Councillor Mavis Kekana so as to engage her formally,” she said.
She pointed out that the issue of informal settlements is a real problem as people just squat illegally and are encouraged to do so by people with personal agendas.
She admitted that the Mashemong Section 4 area has and will always be a private land that belongs to the local chief Kekana but insisted that services must be delivered to the local residents as they are voters.
Community of Mashemong section 4 in Hammanskraal Tshwane photo by Dimakatso Modipa
She revealed that the City of Tshwane has indicated that there is no budget for the area as it falls under the ownership of Chief Kekana abd suggested that there must be a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the City of Tshwane and the local Mashemong Section 4 residents regarding service delivery issues.
She also pointed out that there are people who are illegally selling stands to residents just to fill up their own pockets, which is wrong.
She appealed to all residents who stay in the private land owned by traditional leader Chief Kekana to approach the traditional leadership and register themselves properly as residents of the area so that they can get legal papers that affirm their residency and also have the proverbial leg to stand on when service delivery eventually comes to the area.
She indicated that even those who have bought stands illegally from bogus characters must approach the traditional leadership of Chief Kekana and register themselves as residents but said that those who are selling stands illegally to residents shall be dealt with by law-enforcement agencies.
She said as the Kekana traditional Council they have been elected and vetted and soon they will be gazetted.
She urged residents to stop forming their own traditional leadership structures in squatter camps but submit themselves to the chieftaincy of Chief Kekana and also urged them to engage the traditional leadership of Chief Kekana because South Africa’s problems are resolved through dialogue.
Mandebele-Ba-Lebelo Traditional Council of Majaneng in Hammanskraal Tshwane
Mashemong Section 4 resident Lucas Motheogane expressed satisfaction that the Kekana traditional leadership has come to meet them and said the yet unsigned Memorandum of Understanding will go a long way to bring services to their community.
He said at the moment there is no service delivery coming from the City of Tshwane except the truck that picks up waste in their area.
He said the water that they consume is dirty and has a foul smell.
Be that as it may, Motheogane expressed satisfaction regarding electricity that is supplied to them by Eskom.