Help us to unlock challenges, plead Madonsi communities to Hosi Madonsi

Benson Ntlemo

Communities under the Madonsi Traditional Council have pleaded with the Vhembe District Municipality executive mayor Dowelani Nenguda to unlock service delivery challenges in their area.

The communities made a presentation during Nenguda’s courtesy visit to Hosi Madonsi on Monday.

Presenting on behalf of the communities, Collins Chabane Local Municipality councilor Eric Baloyi, who is from Peninghotsa’ one of the areas under Hosi Madonsi told the executive mayor of the grinding poverty in the areas.

He said all the 18 settlements under hosi Madonsi have similar challenges.
“Ninety eight percent of households are indigent, mostly relying on social grants,” said Baloyi.

He added: “The majority of residents are women and most of the households area women headed.”

Baloyi also gave the economic profile of the area, citing a high unemployment rate and suggested the economy of the area if the government came to party and revived mines in the area that are redundant.

He also said the council has allocated a big chunk of the land for agriculture and would request the municipality to make do of the promise of R2-million grant to communities by the previous executive mayor to assist the communities in agriculture.

He also hinted at the thorny issue of water shortage that has seen communities resort to illegal connections that themselves hamper the government’s efforts to provide water to communities.
He said the traditional council was dealing seriously with illegal connections.

The communities’ demands were packaged together in the integrated plan presented to the executive mayor for consideration.
Before the executive mayor’s response, councilor Joe M’tititi who is a member of the mayoral committee at Vhembe praised the traditional council for being “organized and professional”.

Nenguda said he would sit down with his council to look at the demands. He would also take the demands belonging to other departments to those department.

“Let us work together. If we work together there is no reason for us not to succeed,” he said.

Hosi Madonsi also pledged to work with the district municipality for the sake of his people.