BUSHBUCKRIDGE, Mpumalanga — In a bid to demonstrate tangible service delivery and win voter support in Mpumalanga, the South Africa My Home Residents Association (SAHRA) is using its own resources to construct a vital bridge in Bushbuckridge. The infrastructure project in Shatale village aims to connect two isolated communities while highlighting the local municipality’s history of unfulfilled promises.
Smaller political formations are increasingly working hard to secure a fair share of the vote in the province. SAHRA, which is currently based in Bushbuckridge, holds a single seat in the local municipality. The 76-seat council is largely dominated by the African National Congress with approximately 50 seats, followed by the Economic Freedom Fighters with about eight seats, leaving the remaining seats divided among smaller parties.
Despite their limited representation, SAHRA is taking direct action to address the daily struggles of residents in Shatale village. The community relies on crossing a local stream to access essential services, including schools and clinics located on the opposite side. During the rainy season, flooding makes the crossing nearly impossible and highly dangerous. The lack of safe passage has led to severe hardships, including difficulties in transporting coffins during funerals, and tragically resulted in the deaths of two children who lost their lives trying to cross the water a few years ago.
Oupa Mokoena, the secretary of SAHRA, explained that the party’s decision to build the bridge was a direct response to the community’s cries for help.
“We had a community meeting here last week, and when we talked to the residents, they told us about the difficulties they face accessing the other side,” Mokoena said. “We realized we had to sit down and come up with something to assist them. We ended up deciding that we must build a bridge to address one of their immediate challenges.”
Mokoena noted that the current infrastructure project highlights a decade of broken promises. Residents say they were promised a bridge ten years ago, and the project was even included in the municipality’s Integrated Development Plan (IDP), but it was never executed.
Beyond the bridge, the community is grappling with severe sanitation and road infrastructure issues. Mokoena pointed out that the poor road conditions make it difficult for ambulances to reach residents in emergencies. Furthermore, while many households have water taps, they run dry.
“The current leadership does not have the will to assist them,” Mokoena stated. “If we are given the chance to be in the municipality, we will make sure we upgrade the roads and ensure they have water. We will also partner with the private sector to solve the sanitation crisis. The ruling party doesn’t want to work with them, but we will ensure every household has proper sanitation.”
When pressed on how voters can trust these promises—especially given that millions of rand allocated for a local sanitation project reportedly disappeared—Mokoena was blunt. He alleged that the missing funds were diverted to finance political campaigns, noting that the municipality is currently under investigation regarding the missing sanitation money. He assured voters that if SAHRA gains power, every cent allocated for water and services will be strictly monitored and directed to the community.
While the initiative has been welcomed by residents, concerns were raised regarding the structural integrity and safety of a community-built bridge. Addressing these safety concerns, M., a community member and engineer overseeing the construction, assured the public that the project is being built to last.
“We are ensuring that everything we use here is of good quality material that will sustain the bridge for at least 15 to 20 years,” M. explained. “We have brought in good engineers and quality personnel who know how to source the right materials to sustain heavy loads. Safety is our primary concern so that our fellow community members do not experience any tragedies while crossing.”
For the residents of Shatale, the upcoming November 4 election carries immense weight. Many senior citizens expressed that they are going to the polls with “broken hearts” due to years of neglected service delivery. However, they remain undiscouraged. Viewing SAHRA’s bridge project as a testament to what is possible with political will, residents are determined to stand in the voting queues and ensure their votes count for meaningful change.
