Moqhaka Local Municipality Mayor, Tshidi Koloi, says they will be handing out approximately 30 sites a day this month, in order to meet the increasing demands in the area known as Matlwangtlwang.

Service delivery protests in the area erupted over a week ago, with angry community members torching and damaging municipal offices, resulting in 15 people being arrested for public violence. Koloi acknowledged it is true some residents had been waiting for more than two decades for sites, further adding previously there was no record-keeping of individuals who are in line for sites, hence the delays. She says now this has been rectified and residents have been registered with the Department of Human Settlements. She says there were other pertinent issues that contributed to site allocation delays.

Koloi says Steynsrus is a water scarce area and this was one of the main challenges that plagued the area, resulting in delays. She says the municipality has decided to install a dry water sanitation system, to make up for the dry conditions in the area.

Steynsrus was among a number of towns in the Free State, including Hertzogville and Bothaville, where protest action flared up over service delivery issues over a week ago.

OFM News