NKANGALA – The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) staged coordinated service delivery protests across Victor Khanye and eMalahleni municipalities on Friday, 28 March 2025, raising concerns over deteriorating basic services and growing frustration among residents.
In Victor Khanye, EFF and community members braved the rain to participate in the protest, which highlighted a range of issues including what the party labelled “biased” rates and revenue collection, delays in RDP housing allocations, a lack of access to water, poor sanitation and waste management, and rampant youth unemployment.
Lebogang Mayise, a member of the EFF’s sub-regional interim leadership core, criticised the municipality for its lack of progress since the current council took over in 2021.
“We have seen a decline in service delivery, and our people are plunged further into dire economic situations,” Mayise told Highveld Chronicle.
He emphasised that the EFF is demanding better service delivery for the community. “We are raising concerns that priority seems to be given to external forces instead of internal ones,” he said.
A memorandum outlining the community’s demands was handed over and signed by ward 3 councillor, Tebogo Malumane, giving the municipality a 14-day ultimatum to respond.
Meanwhile, in eMalahleni, the red-beret EFF members marched to the local municipal offices, calling for urgent intervention on issues such as persistent water and electricity shortages, high unemployment, pothole-riddled roads, and poor waste collection.
The party’s public representative in eMalahleni, councillor Mahero Sekgala, led the march and handed over a memorandum to the speaker of council, Mduduzi Nkosi.
“We cannot continue living in a municipality where basic services are a luxury,” said Sekgala. “The people of eMalahleni deserve better, and we will not rest until the municipality takes meaningful action.”
Nkosi acknowledged the concerns raised by the EFF and assured the protesters that while some issues could be addressed in the short term, others required long-term planning.
“We understand the frustration of the community,” Nkosi said. “However, the municipality alone cannot resolve these challenges overnight. We need all stakeholders, including provincial and national government, to work together to ensure sustainable solutions.”
The EFF’s protests in both municipalities reflect mounting dissatisfaction with local governance. If the demands outlined in the memorandums are not met within the 14-day deadline, the party has hinted at ramping up its activism to ensure accountability.
