The DA in the Free State says residents of Phomolong in Winburg have been stripped of their dignity as they have been without basic services for years. This follows a recent visit to the area by the DA Premier candidate in the province, Roy Jankielsohn.

Ahead of the 2021 local elections, residents were allocated unserviced sites, with promises to build housing and basic services. This never materialised and residents have been without water and electricity for the past three years.

“A whole community of Extension 5 in Phomolong is without water and electricity and sewage is dumped in the veld where children have to play and people have to walk. This is a human rights abuse. People were moved here with empty promises before the 2021 local government elections. More than three years later, there are no basic services here,”  Jankielsohn said.

'Residents have to relieve themselves in buckets and empty them in fields' 

Jankielsohn said he questioned the Free State Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs MEC, Ketso Makume, and he replied that a business plan had been approved with geotechnical assessments underway and a service provider appointed. 

Makume further said the Department of Minerals and Energy has approved the electrification of 540 stands, but there is no timeline for when this will happen.

Meanwhile, Masilonyana Municipality has also recently been under fire, with residents calling for the mayor, Dimakatso Modise, to vacate office due to poor service delivery. This follows an incident in January when clinics in Theunissen were forced to close their doors because of a lack of water.

OFM News