CAROLINA, Mpumalanga — An EFF march over poor service delivery in Mpumalanga has brought party members and supporters to the streets of Carolina, demanding immediate leadership changes at the Chief Albert Luthuli Local Municipality. The protest highlights growing frustrations over the lack of basic amenities and alleged systemic corruption within the local government.
Collen Sedide, the EFF’s provincial chairperson, led the demonstration to submit community demands directly to the local government. Sedide stated that the protest was driven by the daily struggles reported by residents, which include a severe lack of water, housing, electricity, roads, clinics, and hospitals, alongside high crime rates.
He also highlighted the deplorable state of local education infrastructure. According to Sedide, many schools in the area are old and dilapidated, with some missing basic windows and doors, forcing children to learn in highly unconducive environments.
“Our aim is to take over this municipality because it has been failing our people for over 32 years now,” Sedide explained, emphasizing the party’s goal to wrest control of the municipality from the ANC. He pointed out that residents are currently living in hazardous squatter camps situated next to dams, while local authorities have failed to intervene.
Furthermore, Sedide addressed the area’s economic struggles, noting that unemployment remains rife despite the presence of numerous mines in the region. Reiterating the party’s broader economic policies, he called for the nationalization of the mines, arguing that local resources should be leveraged to create sustainable jobs and directly benefit the surrounding communities.
The EFF has also alleged that corruption within the municipality is rife, directly contributing to the collapse of service delivery.
However, municipal officials have strongly pushed back against these accusations. Municipality spokesperson Dlamini dismissed the allegations of corruption, maintaining that service delivery has actually improved across every part of the municipality.
Addressing the specific complaints regarding the water supply, Dlamini stated that residents are currently receiving clean water and disputed claims that the water in the Chief Albert Luthuli area is dirty. To counter the corruption claims, Dlamini challenged anyone with concrete evidence of wrongdoing to report it directly to the police.
