Aggrieved JB Marks Residents pour their hearts out to Sambatha

MADODA Sambatha, the stand-in Premier of the North West, who is also MEC for Agriculture, was met with a myriad of service delivery gripes when he led a high-powered government team to the rural village of Ga-Mogopa near Ventersdorp.

The area falls under the JB Marks local municipality.

A litany of complaints was laid bare by hundreds of villagers who packed the Bakwena ba Mogopa Community Hall in the dusty gravel streets of the village. Housing, water, electricity, and youth unemployment were also flagged as matters of great concern.

“So many of our young people are sitting at home without jobs, others have lost hope of finding jobs,” said Dikeledi Mabaso, aged 68. “You can’t even leave a spade or garden fork outside. They get nicked so quick you can almost admire the skill with which the thieves do their thing,” she added.

She told the North West government officials who swamped the predominantly livestock farming community that service delivery was underwhelming. “But that said, one has to give credit where it is due. Seeing so many government officials in person bodes well. At least they can hear from us directly, and we too can hear from them at first-hand about what their plans for us are,” said Mabaso, a subsistence cattle farmer.

Another resident, Solomon More, aged 73, said: “I hope the government is not merely here to create a positive public scene for themselves. I sincerely hope that after they have left, they will not forget about us. They will return to assess the services that they have promised to render, “More said.

A particularly happy face was that of pensioner Isaac Molefe, aged 79. He was handed keys to his brand new RDP home in the nearby Tshing township’s Extension 9.

Stand-in Premier Sambatha led the celebrations, compassionately branding the house key to a disbelieving Molefe, who was flanked by his adult son and family member. As the door slowly opened, Sambatha and Molefe’s slow steps inside the smart RDP house were followed by wild ululation from the watching crowds.

“This is the day I will never forget,” Molefe said soon afterwards in an interview. “I have been waiting for this day all my life. I thank God for this blessing,” he added.

Sambatha said it filled his heart with joy to be a bearer of such good news for the needy. “This is not work that we do. It is our obligation,” he said when asked how he felt about the emotions of the moment.

Molefe’s home is one of the 2 500 RDP housing units earmarked for Tshing township, Extension 9 and 10. Their completion dates range between 31 March and the end of October 2026, according to the Human Settlement department officials.

Sambatha further acknowledged that there was too much backlog in the service delivery programme of the government. “However,” he pointed out, “you’ve got to appreciate that we are not missing in action. It is our desire, and determination, to improve the lives of our people, to improve their lot. They deserve nothing less,” said the man who is also the Chairperson of the SACP in the North West.

He took his colleagues from the Human Settlement department head-on, challenging them to improve their planning and rollout in line with acceptable norms and practices.

This was after it was revealed that oftentimes the department embarks on the program of building homes without first building the bulk infrastructure of services. As a result, problems of sewer spillage and scarcity of water have become too common, Sambatha was told.

Bulk infrastructure installation ought to precede the building of homes, another official emphasised.

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