Matsila community unite against poor service delivery

Residents of Matsila, one of the most development-orientated rural communities in the area, held a consultative meeting with their leaders on Sunday.

The residents met to discuss service delivery matters affecting their livelihoods, local businesses and community development programmes.

The meeting, attended by structures in the community such as the Matsila Royal Council led by Chief Livhuwani Matsila, Chief Talifhani Matsila and Vhavenda Vho-Abraham Matsila, took place at the local royal council premises. The khoro meetings are held fortnightly, while the royal leaders avail themselves once per quarter for such meetings.

During the meeting, residents complained about water, which is only available for four hours a day. They said that they are worried that there are several boreholes established by the Vhembe District Municipality which are not yet providing water to the community, because these were never equipped since installation a few years ago.

The main road linking the Matsila Village with Bungeni, Njakanjaka, De Hoop and Nkuzana Villages is a source of great concern to the community as it is in a very bad condition. Access to households, business centres and community projects is made difficult, because the local municipality does not grade the streets which are now covered by big dongas and dense bushes.

Youth from the village expressed their wish to participate in programs for the preservation of their culture, heritage and tradition, including traditional dances and arts and crafts, while elders indicated they needed assistance in terms of kits for sports such as soccer and a variety of recreation programs to entertain themselves and maintain healthy lifestyles.

Chief Matsila said it was of paramount importance for traditional leaders to meet regularly with their own people and listen to the challenges they are facing in their daily lives. “As leaders we might not be able to meet with our people every day, but we have to demonstrate that we care for their needs by always acting in the best interests of the community. Having listened to their needs, we will now invite our local councillor to provide feedback on water and roads at our next meeting so that pertinent issues can be speedily resolved,” Matsila said.

The chairman of the Matsila Royal Council, Vhavenda Vho-Abraham Matsila urged residents to protect community assets, including game fences, which have been erected and electrified to ensure the safety of both wildlife and members of the community.

He warned residents of the danger of tampering with the electric fences as these could lead to serious injuries or even loss of lives.

Date:14 July 2018

By: Elmon Tshikhudo

Elmon Tshikhudo started off as a photographer. He developed an interest in writing and started submitting articles to local as well as national publications. He became part of the Limpopo Mirror family in 2005 and was a permanent part of the news team until 2019.

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