Mashatile: Fixing local government key to service delivery in rural communities

By Johnathan Paoli

Deputy president Paul Mashatile has underscored urgent concerns raised by Amampondo traditional leadership, including the lack of potable water at the royal palace and surrounding villages, poor road infrastructure, unreliable electricity, inadequate police resources in Libode, and the need for stronger support for agricultural programmes.

Mashatile raised these issues during a working visit to the Amampondo aseNyandeni Kingship at the eNyandeni Royal Palace in Libode, within the Nyandeni Local Municipality in the Eastern Cape, where he pledged closer cooperation between government and traditional leaders to fast-track service delivery and rural development.

The leadership also flagged high levels of crime, drug abuse, and the scourge of gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF) as pressing challenges facing communities.

“These are real issues our communities face, and they require urgent attention. Communities should not have to resort to protests to gain government’s attention. We must take the initiative, be transparent about