Byline: Andani Matumba
17 March 2022
It was a rainy day when Govan Mbeki Municipality (GMM) visited the community in Kinross through an Integrated Development and Planning (IDP) meeting which was held at the Community Hall in Ex 25 on 09 March for the purpose of developing and drafting of 2022/2023 -2026/2027 IDP and Budget.
Members of the community remained in attendance despite the bad weather.
Advocate Themba Gininda, Director for Corporate Services along with his delegates from the municipality went through the review with the community on previous IDP and members of the community did not seem to be pleased with the presentation on the projects which the municipality ought to have implemented for the said period.
The community members of Kinross are aggrieved by poor service delivery because out of the reflection of the previous plan, only one item was achieved from the needs of the community.
Their burning issues include electricity, roads, clinic, school, water and sanitation, recreational grounds, and the Mistry mall.
Kinross has only one no-fee primary school (Kinross Primary School) and the secondary school is only Thistle Grove, of which most parents do not afford monthly fees at Thistle Grove Combined School.
Parents are forced to take their children to schools in Embalenhle and Leandra.
Only one clinic operating in a mobile container is available to serve the whole community of Kinross, including nearby farms.
Members of the community said they have not seen any progress from the previous IDP besides the high mast street lights which Sasol has installed.
Mr. Mndebele, a senior citizen residing in Ext 25 cried out on the issue of a clinic and he pleaded with the municipality delegation to prioritize the issue of building a clinic and municipal office as they are of utmost importance.
“We are suffering here because the clinic is too far and gets overcrowded.
The clinic has one toilet which is shared by everyone who goes there, we wake up early in the morning to queue outside in the cold and sometimes we come back without having being assisted,’’ Mndelele cried out.
Ntokozo Ngwenya, a young man from the community said he is pained that the elder members of the community are failed by the municipality which leaves no hope to the youth.
‘’The community has no place for youth development, most of the youth resort to substance abuse.
This pains me a lot, I heard that the soccer players had to donate money in order for them to play. We as the youth are not given opportunities, I do not even see where I will be in the next 20 years to come in this community,’’ Ntokozo said.
Advocate Gininda promised that the starting point would be to fix the community hall as it is in a state of disarray so that community members can have a place to host their meetings.
