TIGANE, North West — Residents of Tigane and Hartbeesfontein in the Matlosana Local Municipality have gathered to hand over a memorandum of demands and boxes of CVs to the office of Mayor Fikile Mahlophe, demanding urgent intervention in the area’s escalating unemployment crisis.
The community, representing a township of more than 36,000 people, arrived in the early hours of the morning with multiple boxes filled with their resumes. This symbolic gesture was designed to send an undeniable message to municipal leadership about the severe lack of employment opportunities and the desperate need for actionable solutions.
Community spokesperson Sipho explained that the gathering was organized after attempts to engage the mayor’s office directly. According to Sipho, the community emailed and called the executive mayor’s office the previous week, requesting confirmation by Friday on whether a representative would be sent to receive the memorandum if the mayor was unavailable.
Tum alleged that a staff member in the mayor’s office responded in an “extremely rude” manner, stating that Mayor Fikile Mahlophe was out of town attending to political matters and had instructed his staff not to disturb him.
“We told the lady that we are not the mayor’s staff members,” Tum stated. “That rule of him not being disturbed is only applicable to those he hired in his office, not to us, the residents of this community.”
Although the mayor did not appear in person, a local ward councilor was directed by the mayor’s office to receive the memorandum and the boxes of CVs on his behalf.
Highlighting the economic reality of the township, Sipho noted that Supreme Poultry remains the only significant employer in the area, hiring fewer than 1,500 residents. This leaves tens of thousands of people without formal employment, heavily dependent on government social grants. Sipho emphasized that this prolonged unemployment crisis is actively breeding secondary societal issues, including psychological distress, substance abuse, excessive alcohol consumption, and crime.
Adding to the community’s frustration is the unresolved status of local mining operations, which were previously viewed as a potential source of relief for unemployed youth. Ward Councilor Pakis, who has been collaborating with a local collective of business people, addressed the crowd regarding the Shiva uranium mines.
Formerly owned by the Gupta family, the mines are now under the new management of Recon Mining. However, despite earlier engagements where investors promised job creation and economic revitalization, the community has received no official feedback or progress updates for eight months.
The lack of transparency regarding the mines’ operational status has fueled growing suspicion and frustration among residents. By delivering their CVs directly to the municipality, the people of Tigane and Hartbeesfontein are demanding the truth about the Recon Mining developments and tangible, immediate action from the Matlosana Local Municipality to address the region’s critical job shortage.
