By Nkhensani Mthombeni
Residents in Tzaneen, Limpopo, claim that the improvements in service delivery before Tito Mboweni’s funeral on Saturday were just a show.
Roads near the former Reserve Bank governor’s family home in Sasekani Village and the Bindzulani road leading to Nkowankowa Stadium, where the funeral was held, were fixed in record time.
The Bindzulani road, usually full of potholes that cause serious traffic jams during rainy weather, was quickly patched up on Thursday and Friday.
The road was last repaired in September 2022, just ahead of President Cyril Ramaphosa’s visit to campaign for the ANC.
A few months later, rain washed away the repairs, leaving the road in a poor state until Mboweni’s funeral brought the fix.
Since June, some areas of Tzaneen have faced four-hour daily power cuts in the morning and evening.
However, the power was unusually stable throughout last week – but come Monday, residents were surprised to see that the usual power cuts were back in full swing.
Ward 19 resident Given Mlondobodzi said it all felt like a performance.
“It’s like putting makeup on a damaged face,” he said.
“During Mboweni’s memorial service, there was so much water that people started asking what was going on. But as soon as the funeral was over on Saturday, everything went back to the usual struggles.”
Mlondobodzi believes the authorities tried to avoid protests over the power cuts leading up to Mboweni’s funeral.
Matshidiso Madzivandila, Eskom’s spokesperson for Limpopo, said there was a special request not to cut power during the funeral week.
Pictured above: Patchwork done on the Bindzulani road.
Source: Nkhensani Mthombeni
