According to the SABC, the road has been closed and the police are using stun grenades to disperse groups of protesters who continue to pelt them with stones. The road has also been barricaded with bricks and metal objects. 

Speaking to OFM News, one of the residents, Buti Ngeyakhe, said they would like the Municipal Manager (MM) to come to the township and give a clear indication of when the issues that have been raised for months, will be sorted. 

He also mentioned how the town has been without water since late 2022 and the water tankers that they make use of are not cleaned properly. It is reported that protesters have blocked the N8 and entrances to town with burning tyres and broken glass. The residents promised that there will be a total shutdown because their issues are not being resolved.

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Giving reasons for the total shutdown, Pali Seekoei said it is because the Acting MM, Dineo Tsikana, allegedly refused to meet with residents, despite them meeting with the mayor, councillors, and directors. 

Last week a protest also erupted in the small Free State town as a result of what residents have termed "non-existent" service delivery.

Angry community members were up in arms for three days, barricading the N8 highway with burning tyres, stones, and other debris. However, it was promised that the mayor of the Letsemeng Local Municipality will meet with the residents on Thursday 2 Feb 2023 to try and iron out their differences over issues besieging the municipality.

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Seekoei expressed they have been without water for months without any communication offered to them about when they will start receiving water. He, however, added that they were provided with a Jojo tank but the municipality has not been cleaning or filling up the tank with clean water. Seekoei also stated that they have been struggling with power outages and sewerage drainage, which has also caused damage to their homes. Trouble raised in the town on 30 January 2023, when residents barricaded the roads with rocks and glass to get the Letsemeng Local Municipality to hear their grievances.

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Another issue with service delivery that they have encountered is power outages; while they understand that load-shedding affects the entire country, they have had to go without electricity for several days. 

Seekoei made reference to a recent Sunday 29 January 2023, when they spent the entire day without power. "Now imagine how terrible your Sunday afternoon would be without electricity and water." He mentioned that an elderly lady, who is dependent on oxygen, struggles a lot when there is no electricity. She has to be taken to the hospital and then it is a struggle to get the ambulance to pick her up.

Another resident, who wishes to remain anonymous, claimed that the water tankers are never cleaned. He and other residents have witnessed the municipality refilling water in the tankers a couple of times while there was green stuff inside. "Now they expect us to consume that water, and they call it clean. It is unfair and uncalled for," he said. The location of where the water tankers are placed seems to be a big issue because a few people complained about how they have to travel long distances to get water.

OFM News