Bua Mining Communities

Hundreds of the community members across Bafokeng communities came to celebrate a court victory against their Chief on the 21 March. The Royal Bafokeng Chief/Kgosi Leruo Molotlegi and his lieutenants in the Royal Bafokeng Traditional leadership have faced fierce objections from the community on their attempt to snatch land without consultation. The Royal Bafokeng Traditional authority was stopped on their tracks to covertly register 61 farms in their name. Apparently, the traditional authority was acting without any official mandate when attempting to transfer the communities’ land in the Royal Bafokeng’s name. In the run up to seek the land registration the authorities avoided by all means to consult with the community, an opted to rushed to the courts. The land is believed to be owned privately by families and some by communities including the Baphiring, Bamogono, Bachana., Thekwana, Tlaseng, Tsitsing, Photsaneng and so on. The Bafokeng self-crowned monarch has since in the mid 1...

                                                                                           Two years after shooting to fame, an association of blind people in Chaneng village remains hopeless amidst millions of rand donations from the Royal Bafokeng Platinum (RBPlat) and a North West provincial government department. ‘We started on 08 th June 2005. Every member was contributing R30-00 per month towards the development of the project including buying seedlings’, explained Tadidi Letupu; a blind granny seated at the corner of their full office. Production charts, trophies, certificates of achievements and attendance of workshops and trainings attract you to enter an office with cupboards and a shelf-less display stands. Around a flowery table cl...

Tshepang Sarah Rambao (Bapong) “In the village of Segwaelane is very hard to drive and walk due to the potholes on the roads” said Sidney Mbiza who is a resident at Segwaelane in Bapong Ba Mogale sedtion.his potholes are dangerous to drivers, passengers and pedestrians. Sidney who recently bought a car around January this year is not happy because he says that these potholes may break one’s car if you not too careful, and he has to use this road daily, he also mentioned that he grew up in Segwaelane and they never had a tarred road when they finally did, it didn’t last long, it was one small pothole in the beginning and later the road was filled with potholes. Sidney was a perfect interviewee because he lives in Segwaelane and experiences the impact of these potholes first hand daily. The key points Everyone in Segwaelane is affected by these potholes. People’s lives are in danger due to the forever increasing potholes. According my understanding this is a serious situati...

Kgomotso Ramatlhware (Segwaelane) Roads in the new stands in segwaelane The community have been living in this section for over seven years with no proper roads. They use path ways and open roads by cars. The community once gathered and discussed the issues they face with Kgosana (head man) and mandated to take the issues to the tribal office and ask on the behalf of the community to get the road greated till today nothing has happened. In rainy days it becomes a major challenge to walk to school or get to work due to muddy roads. One has to wear boots or plastics until you reach the gravel road. There is stream across the section that flows only in rainy days and few days after. This stream ruins the road and runs through dumping sites and flows with the rubbish and dumps it on people’s yard which is hazardous to society and the environment. This has to come to an end as society has a right to proper roads and sanitation. We have to fight together to become a deve...

Tsholo Kokwe (Ikemeleng) Illegal power connections Ignorance of the authority to render services to the people of Ikemeleng has left residents to connect electricity illegally. Problems • The wire connections are not up to standard and not deep enough • Electricity traps that are danger during rainy days to both children and elders Even though it’s illegal, it’s unfairly distributed, some people are connected and some are not because there is a lot of favouritism or they cannot afford to pay. There was no interview because I talk to them occasionally and I know them very well, I see them playing television, use electrical appliance and I even charge my phone there for R5 on daily basis. Key points • To them it’s not illegal because they negotiate and pay connection fees • If you want to know the fees you pay R25 and those who more are the business owners • Maybe this illegal connection will force the authority to install electricity in Ikemeleng People have suffered for a long...

Buti Botopela (Ikemeleng) Ikemeleng roads The danger of busy and high accident roads from town (Rustenburg CBD) and local mining industries to Ikemeleng which has claimed many lives and left several in injured. • This busy road has high accident rate and potholes, no road signs, during rain this road became a mad trap for those who try to walk and drive, so the Ikemeleng residents are immobile during rainy days because of this roads. *I interviewed Mkhulu a resident of Ikemeleng. I choose him because he is from the informal settlements in Ikemeleng and experience the impact of this road (lack of service delivery) first hand. Key points from the interview • Potholes • No road signs • Speed humps • Traffic robots • Death of workers and school children due to accidents • No tarred road • Free grazing of livestock I learned/found out that the traffic department knew all this problems concerning the roads and the high accidents rates yearly and has promised road signs in Ikemel...