THE residents of four villages in Ngcobo are up in arms claiming the municipality has deliberately sidelined them in its electrification project.
Villagers from Ndlunkulu, Zuburha, Mangweni and Mkhonkotho blocked a contractor from installing poles in their mielie fields because they were being installed for another village.
They claim the municipality skipped their villages and started erecting poles for Zabaza Village which, according to its location, was meant to get electrified after the four.
What made it worse was poles were delivered to their village in November last year but later removed and taken to another village.
After the villagers tried to block the contractor from erecting the poles, police were called and stood guard while the contractor put them up.
Then Zabaza village residents, angered by the delay, retaliated by blocking the road so Ndlunkulu villagers could not go through their village on the way to and from town.
“We are so tired of the unfulfilled promises of the municipality. At a meeting last year we were told we would get electricity in the 2012-13 financial year.
“Now we see another village, which was supposed to get electricity after us, being prioritised,” said Ndlunkulu villager Bongani Makhwenkwe.
He added: “They did not even consult us about installing those poles in our fields. Instead when we asked the contractor about it he called the police and they threatened us with rubber bullets. Even the chief threatened us.”
But the municipality denies the claim they had promised to electrify the areas in 2012-13. Mayor Lamla Jiyose said all four areas would be accommodated in the 2013-14 financial year.
“We are against what they are doing – stopping a contractor from doing his work solves nothing. We told them according to our budget and plan they will get electricity in the next financial year starting in July,” he said.
“We cannot just skip villages – there is a plan for all of them .”
When asked whether they had an engineer’s plan of the electrification project he said there was none.
Villagers are getting desperate, saying not having electricity was a financial burden.
Villager Anita Nonco said: “Some of us who could afford to bought solar panels to charge our phones.
“But when it is overcast we have to put all our phones in plastic bags for someone who goes to town to charge then at cellphone shops for R5 each.
“If you don’t have money, that means your phone will be off for a long time.
“We also have a major problem with transport. The bakkies we use to travel to town refuse to come this side in the evening because they say it is too dark. They drop us off at a distance and we have to walk more than 5km home.” —
Power project sets off village feud
Villagers from Ndlunkulu, Zuburha, Mangweni and Mkhonkotho blocked a contractor from installing poles in their mielie fields because they were being installed for another village.
They claim the municipality skipped their villages and started erecting poles for Zabaza Village which, according to its location, was meant to get electrified after the four.
What made it worse was poles were delivered to their village in November last year but later removed and taken to another village.
After the villagers tried to block the contractor from erecting the poles, police were called and stood guard while the contractor put them up.
Then Zabaza village residents, angered by the delay, retaliated by blocking the road so Ndlunkulu villagers could not go through their village on the way to and from town.
“We are so tired of the unfulfilled promises of the municipality. At a meeting last year we were told we would get electricity in the 2012-13 financial year.
“Now we see another village, which was supposed to get electricity after us, being prioritised,” said Ndlunkulu villager Bongani Makhwenkwe.
He added: “They did not even consult us about installing those poles in our fields. Instead when we asked the contractor about it he called the police and they threatened us with rubber bullets. Even the chief threatened us.”
But the municipality denies the claim they had promised to electrify the areas in 2012-13. Mayor Lamla Jiyose said all four areas would be accommodated in the 2013-14 financial year.
“We are against what they are doing – stopping a contractor from doing his work solves nothing. We told them according to our budget and plan they will get electricity in the next financial year starting in July,” he said.
“We cannot just skip villages – there is a plan for all of them .”
When asked whether they had an engineer’s plan of the electrification project he said there was none.
Villagers are getting desperate, saying not having electricity was a financial burden.
Villager Anita Nonco said: “Some of us who could afford to bought solar panels to charge our phones.
“But when it is overcast we have to put all our phones in plastic bags for someone who goes to town to charge then at cellphone shops for R5 each.
“If you don’t have money, that means your phone will be off for a long time.
“We also have a major problem with transport. The bakkies we use to travel to town refuse to come this side in the evening because they say it is too dark. They drop us off at a distance and we have to walk more than 5km home.” —
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