Malamulele crisis: Place it under administration Minister Gordhan
11 February 2014
Note to editors: On a an oversight visit to Malamulele, my Colleagues and I, DA Shadow Deputy Minister of Education, Desiree van der Walt MP and DA Limpopo Leader, Jacques Smalle MPL, assessed the situation and discovered the town to be virtually under martial law.
The DA has written to the Minster for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Pravin Gordhan, calling on him to recommend to the Limpopo COGTA MEC, Makoma Grace Makhurupetje, to place the Thulamela Municipality (which the rural community of Malamulele forms part of) under section 139 administration, until such time as the situation is stabilised.
In terms of the Constitution, a section 139 intervention will allow municipal administrators to take control of the municipality. Basic services, such as the provision of clean drinking water, refuse removal, and a functioning healthcare system must be restored immediately.
The Minister can no longer waste any more time waiting on his commissioned task team to Malamulele. The situation requires immediate action.
The once bustling community is now desolate.
Police Kaspirs and Nyalas block off the entrances to the town and there are police vehicles at every intersection. According to Brigadier Zulu (the SAPS operational commander), apart from ordinary police officers, 196 Public Order police officers ("riot police") have been deployed to the town, from as far afield as Ulundi, Newcastle and Groblersdal. They are heavily armed.
There are no shops and stores open. No banking is taking place, the main road and almost all others are deserted. This means that no one is earning a living or able to purchase food and other basic necessities.
No schooling is taking place for approximately 80 000 learners (at 150 schools) in the area. 5 schools have been set alight and a number of buildings destroyed, and other schools have reported major damage.
Hundreds of buildings which are severely damaged will inevitably cost millions of rands to restore.
The complete shutdown of the town begs the question: On what legal basis has the Police intervened?
Photographic depictions of the state of the town encountered on the DA's oversight programme this week can be found here.
What is even more alarming, is the fact that the municipal offices (which were also torched in a previous service-delivery protest in September 2013 and have since not been rebuilt) are not operating, contrary to what Minister Gordhan stated in his letter to me on 29 January this year. The Minister is in denial of what is happening on the ground.
The situation in Malamulele once again bears testament to a total breakdown of local governance under the ANC. Continued misleading and misguided promises by President Zuma and the Minister to the community that they will possibly get their own Municipality have only incited further uprising.
Malamulele is in a state of crisis, immediate action is needed now. It is up to the Minster and the MEC to provide a concrete plan of action to restore services and to show leadership in this time of crisis.
Statement issued by Kevin Mileham MP, DA Shadow Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, February 11 2015
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