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ZIWAPHI • VOL 4 NO 14 • 25 June - 8 July 2010

KWAMHLANGA

Residents of KwaMhlanga in Mpumalanga are furious about “useless” soccer balls that have appeared on top of poles at two busy intersections in the area.

The residents say they would rather have wanted the money to be spent on a public viewing area so that they could also watch the Fifa World Cup.

The soccer balls have appeared on brand-new poles at the Vezubuhle and Thembalethu four-way stop on the R573, better known as the Moloto road, as well as its intersection with the R568 at Crossroad Plaza. On the balls are written the names of both the local Thembisile Hani municipality and the Nkangala district municipality and its motto, “Prosperity through Labour”.

Resident Scelo Mpinga (19) of Vezubuhle village said the signs were embarrassing. _“We do not see how they can help anyone because they do not even have the names of the streets written on them. What’s the use? It’s just a decoration on the street and a huge waste of taxpayers’ money,” said Mapinga.

Added Mazwi Thabana (32): “We are dissatisfied that we do not have public viewing areas in our municipality so that we can witness the World Cup like other people in their municipalities. Soccer is most important to us, but it’s obvious that our municipality does not really care about the World Cup,” said Thabana.

A resident from nearby Mandela village, Mandla Ntuli (28), said the money would have been better spent on installing traffic robots in the area.

“The entire municipality does not have a single traffic light and we all know how dangerous Moloto road is. Would it not have been better to use the money for something that could help to control traffic?” said Ntuli.

Municipality spokesman Themba Mtsweni refused to comment and referred questions to the Nkangala district municipality. Attempts to get comment from the office of Nkangala’s executive mayor, Speedy Mashilo, were unsuccessful.