Note to editors: Please find attached English and Afrikaans soundbites by Cllr Brunhilde Rossouw and Sesotho by Karabo Khakhau MP.
In December 2023, a devastating storm ripped through the small communities of Winburg and Makeleketla, in Masilonyana Local Municipality leaving countless families without homes. In the immediate aftermath, provincial and district officials visited the area, assessed the damage, and made heartfelt promises to the affected residents. The Democratic Alliance (DA) will ensure that the promises made to these communities must be honoured, and the necessary support provided to help them rebuild their lives. Please see the pictures here, here, here and here.
Yet, eight months later, those promises remain unfulfilled, and the community still awaits the help they were assured would come. Funds were reportedly allocated to help rebuild homes and restore the community, but no tangible assistance has been provided to date. Leaving residents without answers.
The neglect faced by the residents of Winburg and Makeleketla is not new. In 2013, a government project to construct RDP houses for the community was started but never completed. Today, the incomplete foundations serve as a painful reminder of promises made and broken. Despite funds being allocated for the project, many homes were left unfinished, with no explanation provided for the discrepancies in construction.
The challenges faced by the community extend beyond just housing. Two years ago, a company visited Makeleketla intending to replace the asbestos roofs on nearly 40 homes—roofs that pose serious health risks to those living beneath them. The residents were promised that the roofs would be replaced “soon,” but two years later, no action has been taken.
The plight of the Winburg and Makeleketla communities highlights a broader issue of neglect and broken promises that have left some of the most vulnerable people in our country without the support they desperately need. The absence of communication and the failure to follow through on commitments have only deepened the sense of abandonment felt by these residents.
The situation in Winburg and Makeleketla is dire, and the time for action is long overdue. We will compile a full report that will be submitted to the Provincial Legislature and representatives of the DA provincially. Additionally, the report will be submitted to the Free State Department of Human Settlements to ensure that the community receive the answer they desperately need.