The North West Provincial Government has noted and watched the escalating rate of service delivery protest in different parts of the province which some have turned violent. In some cases ordinary citizens of this province were held at ransom by these protesters as they blockade roads with burning tyres and pelting passing vehicles with stones.
In other incidents public property was set ablaze, intimidated fellow citizens, looted shops especially those owned by foreign nationals and disrupted teaching and learning which affected many schools across the province.
We have in the past condemned the usage of violence by communities as a way of registering their service delivery concerns and we have on a number of occasions appealed to members of the community to engage with their relevant public representatives such as their local councillors. We acknowledge that some of the concerns are genuine and have got do with lack or poor service delivery.
Some of the issues raised by the communities include among others but not limited to:
- allegations of nepotism and maladministration
- poor public participation
- allegations of corruption
- potholes and lack of proper roads infrastructure
- insufficient supply of water and some areas poor water quality
- lack of electricity supply
- poor maintenance of sanitation infrastructure
- poor refuse removal services
- slow delivery of houses
- high levels of unemployment affecting especially youth and women
- lack of youth economic opportunities
On behalf of the North West Provincial Government, we want to condemn these protests and urge the protesters to guard against being used by those who have their own agenda.
The department in partnership with municipalities and sector departments will continue to engage with the protesters with the aim to bring stability in our communities. The department will also through the implementation of the ward-based service delivery model, mobilise municipalities and provincial departments to be proactive and respond to service delivery challenges timorously and improve public participation to avoid possible protests.
Enquiries:
Dineo Lolokwane
Cell: 072 542 8444
