This, after the association representing a number of unemployed Botshabelo residents, who turned to selling clothes, accessories and food to generate some form of income in the Botshabelo Central Business District (CBD), marched to the local municipal offices to hand over a memorandum of demands today.

The association and members of the community, represented by its secretary, Lefa Ramabolu, says the municipality has for years left them in limbo after it committed to build them hawkers’ stalls around the CBD. 

Ramabolu tells OFM News that of the R34 million that was budgeted for this project in 2015 only 44 stalls have been built and fully functional. 

He says the municipality was set to build 220 stalls and over 108 of them are to date left unfinished, while the remainder is nowhere to be seen. 

Ramabolu says following today’s march they are expecting the municipality to respond within seven working days, as promised by the MMC for Small, Medium and Micro Enterprise Businesses (SMMEs) Mafa Nkgabu.

The cash-strapped municipality has recently made national headlines following Moody's downgrade. This, coupled with court battled with Bloem Water. 

The municipality, which was placed three notches deeper into junk territory earlier this month, is said by the rating agency to reflect a metro that is in a rapidly declining liquidity position.

OFM News