Women discuss electricity alternatives that may be used to prepare and safe food

Community Alerts/Zanele Msibi/Mpumalanga/ 05 March 2017

03 March 2017 we had a workshop with woman in New Lago near Phola the purpose of the workshop was to teach woman since they don’t have access to electricity what alternative they can use and how to save food when you don’t have refrigerator

Many issues arises in our discussions

-big issue is the councillor that is not doing his duties has neglected the community nobody from the municipality who is visiting or taking care of the situation the community is facing

-no service delivery (sanitation)

-no access to electricity they have to collect wood now the mine has fenced the place

The woman must make sure that they is enough wood to cook and warm water so that children have hot water in morning

-houses are not in good condition where built long time ago needs renovations

-the grass has grow in the way that the are dangerous snake and kids are playing in that grass

-children are attending school in the nearby area and the problem is they have to pass in the dangerous forest most of the children are disturb by the situation it become difficult to concentrate in school because of the situation they are living under

-they are no shops and clinics they have to go to Phola some skip they treatment because they don’t have money to travel

-no transport they have to wait 2-3 hour waiting for cars to take them to their destination

Life in New Lago is sad because most of the community is not working they live with grant money

The help that they are supposed to get from the municipality is not there they are empty promises and they been said from pillar to strength because the councillor is staying in Witbank and is impossible for them go to meet with the councillor and he never been to the area

They cannot open bank account because in the bank they want water and electricity statement if you don’t have the bank won’t do it for them

The community once stop the contract that was hired by Anglo American to cut trees because the protect them in big wind the houses are to old if they cut the tress houses will fall

The community of new Lago has been taken for granted