MIDDELBURG, Mpumalanga — Residents in Middelburg are intensifying pressure on the Mpumalanga government to accelerate service delivery, bringing long-standing grievances over housing, water, and infrastructure directly to provincial leaders. During the “Taking the Legislature to the People” outreach programme hosted at the Themba Senamela Stadium, community members demanded immediate accountability for unfulfilled municipal promises.
The public engagement highlighted severe deficits in basic services, with attendees pointing to deteriorating road infrastructure and a critical shortage of clean drinking water. However, the most vocal frustration centered on the stagnant allocation of RDP houses. Representatives from the Nazareth community specifically appealed to the MEC for Human Settlements for urgent intervention, revealing that third-generation families are still confined to backyard dwellings, with some housing disputes tracing back to 2015.
Addressing the crowd, members of the Executive Council conceded that project execution has been sluggish in certain sectors. Despite these admissions, the provincial MEC for Human Settlements highlighted substantial advancements in a development zone known as Randos. Officials detailed an ongoing initiative to construct approximately 7,000 low-cost homes, utilizing a mixed-cost model to maximize the impact of the housing rollout.
A key component of this strategy involves relocating residents from informal squatter camps and backyard rentals into the newly established settlement. Government representatives emphasized that this specific area is being fully equipped with essential municipal services, expressing confidence that the completed project will resolve the core grievances raised by the community and provide a sustainable living environment.
The legislative oversight initiative is set to run through Friday. The schedule includes direct inspections of various state-funded construction projects across the region, ensuring continued monitoring of the government’s service delivery commitments and progress on the ground.
