Note to Editors: Please find attached English and Sesotho soundbites by Cllr Sello Makoena.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Dihlabeng will write to the Municipal Manager, Mohau Ntheli, to urgently address the lack of basic services and child safety in the Five House informal settlement, Ward 19, Bethlehem. Residents have long been neglected, and the absence of schools, a permanent clinic, and safe pedestrian infrastructure endangers children and perpetuates inequality in the community.
Located on the outskirts of the city and excluded from official development plans, this neighbourhood suffers from severe service delivery failures that threaten the safety, dignity, and rights of its citizens, especially children.
Despite being close to the city centre, hundreds of households remain without basic amenities. There is no primary school, crèche, permanent clinic, or safe pedestrian infrastructure. These are structural failings that endanger lives and sustain inequity.
Children must travel long distances for school, one of the most urgent concerns raised by residents and DA councillors. With no school nearby, children as young as six are forced to cross Bethlehem’s busiest streets, many without sidewalks, crossings, or traffic-calming measures. With no scholar transport system, families send their children on foot, heightening the risk.
The DA calls for the rapid development of a satellite school or mobile classrooms as an immediate step, pending the long-term planning of infrastructure. We also insist that the municipality implement traffic control measures and conduct a pedestrian safety audit.
Healthcare is equally concerning. Five House lacks a permanent clinic, and the mobile service meant to fill this gap is grossly inadequate. Residents report the clinic visits only once every three months, depriving children, the elderly, and expectant mothers of vital care. This delay is not only ineffective but also dangerous.
Lack of healthcare access is a public health risk in a community with many chronic illnesses, where infections spread quickly in congested conditions.
The DA urges the Free State Department of Health to schedule weekly mobile clinic visits and calls on the municipality to allocate land and funds for a permanent clinic.
The situation in Five House highlights persistent injustices. Government, business, and civil society must work together to restore dignity and opportunity.
The DA reaffirms its commitment to Ward 19. Until every child can travel safely to school, every resident has healthcare, and every family lives in safety, we will not stop.