NOT FOR SENSETIVE READERS
MIDDELBURG – Flashbacks of her grandson’s lifeless, headless body lying on the street still haunt Sibongile Maseko.
Overwhelmed by grief, she told Highveld Chronicle that the body of her three-year-old grandson, Mlondolozi, was buried without his head. His skull had been completely crushed by the rear wheels of a 30-ton refuse compactor truck belonging to the Steve Tshwete Local Municipality. The horrific accident took place on October 11, last year, instantly claiming the child’s life.
“The scalp and brain were all squashed together on the ground. It was a horrifying sight,” said Sibongile. “After the burial, we thought we would hear that the driver had been suspended and that an investigation would be conducted, but none of that happened. The driver is still working as if he killed a dog. It’s painful.”
To make matters worse, the same truck has allegedly been involved in two other serious incidents.
On November 28, Alenda Magaga (34), a single mother of four from Tokologo in Mhluzi, was left permanently disabled after the truck reversed into her at the Mhluzi Dumping Site. Magaga, who earns a living collecting and selling waste, is now confined to a wheelchair.
“I fractured my hip and backbone. No one from the municipality came to see me – not during my hospital stay or after,” she said.
In another alleged incident from April 2023, Nhlanhla Sibanyoni from Newtown said her one-year-old son was run over by the same truck while playing outside. He survived, but sustained neck and head injuries.
With no accountability or justice for the three families, the uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party in Mpumalanga has stepped in. On Wednesday, May 7, the party led a march to the Steve Tshwete Local Municipality, where it delivered a memorandum demanding answers and action.
The memorandum, accepted by MMC for Public Safety and Security Joseph Ngubeni, calls for:
- Disciplinary and legal action against responsible individuals,
- A summary of actions taken internally and referrals to law enforcement,
- A formal written apology to the affected families,
- A framework for compensation,
- And a plan to improve driver training, vehicle safety, and community protection.
Advocate Busisiwe Mkhwebane, MK Party provincial convenor, said the incidents cannot be ignored.
“We as MK Party in Mpumalanga cannot just be quiet and fold our hands when we know there are three families affected. We cannot have a municipality that does not take community safety seriously,” she said.
“This is one of the very rare incidents – you don’t find this in other municipalities. As MK, we say this must stop. The matter must be taken seriously, and the families must receive proper support.” The MK Party has given the municipality seven working days to respond to the issues raised in the memorandum.
