Promises: On Wednesday, Deputy President Paul Mashatile visited the area as part of the ANC’s 114 anniversary celebrations in North West,
promising residents imminent change. Photo: Supplied
Major potholes, raw sewage flowing through the streets, uncollected rubbish, youth loitering, families cooking meals over open fires and the stench of waste and sewerage confront you as you enter the townships governed by the Ditsobotla Local Municipality.
On Wednesday, Deputy President Paul Mashatile visited the area as part of the ANC’s 114 anniversary celebrations in North West, promising residents imminent change. Many were however sceptical, saying the visit felt like yet another campaign exercise similar to those witnessed repeatedly over the years.
As Mashatile greeted children and posed for photographs, a few women could be heard instructing their children: “Tell him you don’t have school shoes, food, water and that your school fees are not paid.”
According to locals, the greed of politicians has led to the total destruction of their community, leaving many residents without hope of ever finding jobs or prosperity.
Mashatile promised that after the ANC’s January 8 rally, being held in the North West this weekend, work would begin in the area.
“It’s an organisation of the people, an organisation of the community, and the leaders of the ANC should always be grounded in the community. The work has started. They will tell you when the elections will be. We will continue to work with you. Let us fix the challenges so that the community can enjoy their lives,” he said.
In April 2024, a month before South Africa’s general elections the Mail & Guardian visited Ditsobotla. A tour of the area this week suggests nothing much has changed since. Rubbish remains uncollected, sewage continues to spill into people’s homes, water and electricity challenges persist and unemployment remains widespread.
During the 2024 pre-election visit, then mayor Thabo Nkashe said the department of environmental services had temporarily suspended household waste collection across the municipality because all trucks were grounded due to mechanical failures.
He said the municipality was in dire financial straits, hampering its ability to deliver services.
“Our roads are in a terrible state. We are currently unable to maintain them due to cash-flow problems and budgetary constraints. However, we are working around the clock to turn around the municipality’s financial position to address service delivery backlogs,” he said at the time.
In 2024, M&G also visited Nick Kubelo, a tavern owner whose home has been dubbed “ko masepeng” – loosely translated as “the sh**house” – because of persistent sewage spills. Kubelo said he had raised the issue with the municipality for more than 10 years without success.
“This pains me so much. I was recently called to my children’s school because they are being labelled as kids who live at ‘ko masepeng’. This smell is not good for my children. If it were only me, it would be better,” he said. At one point, Kubelo filled buckets with sewage and dumped them inside the council offices to express his frustration, but the municipality continued to ignore him.
The M&G visited Kubelo’s family home again this week while Mashatile was in the area. Nothing had changed since the previous visit. Kubelo was not home, but a woman living on the property said the situation remained dire.
“Nothing has changed since your visit. We still have sewage spilling into the house. When it rains, we have to stand on the bed because water comes inside – there are no drains. The toilets are still blocked, sewage comes out of the toilet and sink and we don’t have water. We still have to fetch or buy it,” she said.
Despite these challenges, she said she still intended to vote for the ANC in the upcoming local government elections.
The ANC’s electoral support in Ditsobotla has declined over time. In the 2016 municipal elections, the party secured 61.7% of the vote. In the 2021 local government elections its support dropped to 51.58%, narrowly ahead of the Economic Freedom Fighters and the Democratic Alliance. In the 2024 national elections, the ANC won 54.58% on the municipal ballot.
Kubelo’s neighbour, Sam Sejabeng, told the M&G that it is common for taps to run dry for a month at a time. In his yard, raw sewage flows freely, accompanied by a strong stench and swarms of flies.
“I live in a dam of sewage. We have complained, but to them we are just talking. We have decided to keep quiet because there is absolutely nothing we can do. The sewer runs through my neighbours’ yards as well, and this causes no conflict because everyone is suffering,” he said.
Sejabeng said a councillor had previously told him he would help but made no promises about when.
“He said he is willing to assist, but he doesn’t know when,” he said. His yard was also filled with uncollected rubbish. Asked when the bins were last collected, Sejabeng laughed.
“We don’t even have dustbins, so that question doesn’t arise. You just find a place to throw the rubbish,” he said.
Several residents accused councillors of selling water from free municipal water tankers. Sejabeng confirmed this.
“They sell water meant for fire trucks to us. Water meant for five trucks is sold. You can buy it to fill a JoJo tank or water cans. They charge R5 per water can,” he said.
Sejabeng shied away from saying which party he would vote for in this year’s local government elections, saying only that he would see when the time came.
Driving out of Sejabeng, a group of women sat outside their family home in the scorching heat, trying to prepare a meal over an open fire.
The mother, who identified herself only as Dikeledi, said that she, her four daughters and her grandchildren have been without electricity for more than five years, leaving cooking outdoors as their only option. She said the electricity was cut after a transformer supplying power to their home and neighbouring houses exploded.
“We have a fridge in the house, but it has been turned into storage. It hasn’t been used for five years. We depend on grants and no one is employed. Because we don’t have electricity, we can’t buy meat and we can’t do groceries for the entire month,” she said.
“We don’t receive much grant money, so it becomes difficult in the middle of the month because we don’t have extra money. If we had electricity, it would be better because we would be able to buy food in bulk.”
She joked sadly about how her grandchildren have never watched television in the comfort of their own home.
“This one who is crying for his mother and the one playing next door, are two and three years old. They have never watched TV with us because the transformer exploded before they were even born,” Dikeledi said.
A resident from Boikhutsong, who identified himself as Thato, said water and electricity issues had plagued the community for years. Mashatile’s visit would not change anything, he predicted.
“Even in 2024 they were here. If you want to see how incompetent they are, go to the council building – the grass is overgrown and the potholes are right at their doorstep. If they can’t fix that, what makes you think they’ll fix our problems?” he asked.
“I’m young and unemployed. There’s no hope of getting a job. Many people have completed their studies and are sitting at home. We want jobs, not begging from the government.”
Thato said he believed many elderly residents would still vote for the ANC.
“People will either not vote or vote for the ANC. What I can tell you is that I will not vote for the ANC. We know these councillors,” he said.
Asked about councillors selling water, Thato said it was common knowledge. “Everyone knows. If they say they don’t, they’re scared because you’re a journalist,” he said.
Another resident from Blydeville, Annie Mathe, said ANC councillors had sidelined community members by hiring people close to them rather than those who qualified.
“It’s only in a few cases where people are hired on merit. Go to the mall – you’ll see workers who are not from here or are close to ANC people. If you don’t know anyone, you won’t get employed,” she said, adding that service delivery had worsened over the years.
“It’s been more than 10 years of these problems. You can protest, close roads, threaten anything—you still won’t get anything. That’s why people have stopped doing anything; it doesn’t help.”
“We stay for months without water. You reuse bath or dish water to flush the toilet. I beg neighbours with JoJo tanks for water because the trucks don’t come. I am gatvol with the ANC. I hate what it has done to us.
“I bought a geyser five years ago and have never used it because there’s no water – it’s just rotting in the house. Our children are unemployed. We live in sewage, with no roads, no water, no electricity. Why would I even think of voting for such a party?”