Lichtenburg, North West — As the local government elections draw near, the Save Ditsobotla Movement (SDM) is stepping up its campaign to resolve persistent service delivery challenges in the Ditsobotla Local Municipality. Alongside other emerging civil movements, the party aims to reverse decades of governance failures and deliver tangible improvements to the standard of living for local residents.
In Ward 3 of Lichtenburg, voters are preparing to head to the polls with mixed emotions. However, the prevailing sentiment is a strong desire for systemic change. The African Revolutionary Council (ARC), another new movement contesting the elections, has highlighted the dire conditions in the municipality’s most neglected areas. Representatives for the ARC note that communities are suffering from a lack of refuse removal services, severe water shortages, and deteriorating roads. They attribute these failures largely to corruption, arguing that if municipal funds were not misappropriated, they would be properly channeled to meet essential community needs.
While the ARC focuses on broad service delivery complaints, the Save Ditsobotla Movement has outlined a highly specific, actionable strategy to tackle the municipality’s water crisis. Benny Mosiane, spokesperson for the SDM, stated that the party’s primary objective is to secure the water authority license directly from the Ngaka Modiri Molema District Municipality.
Mosiane emphasized that the SDM will no longer wait for services to be restored through standard administrative delays. “If we need to go to court to get the license back, we will go to court,” Mosiane asserted, signaling the movement’s readiness to take aggressive legal and administrative action.
To highlight the administrative disparity, Mosiane pointed out that the neighboring Kgetleng municipality manages seven wards with a fully secured water and sanitation license, while Mquasi Hills operates 11 wards with the exact same license. In contrast, Ditsobotla, despite having 20 wards, remains without its own authority license. “What are the reasons that we cannot get our license?” Mosiane questioned, framing the issue as a critical oversight that the SDM intends to rectify immediately.
Ultimately, for the voters of Ditsobotla, the upcoming local government elections represent more than just a civic duty. Despite their mixed emotions regarding the political landscape, their decision to participate is firmly driven by the hope that new political formations will finally improve their daily standard of living.
