Alex Matlala

Alex Matlala

In an endeavour to speed up service delivery in far-flung villages near the small mining town of Burgersfort, Limpopo, the Greater Tubatse municipality has prioritised the construction of roads and bridges.

The municipality has already bought two new graders, and an eight ton truck.

The municipality spent R5million on the equipment and another R5million has been set aside to buy more equipment.

The machines will service 163 villages where roads have been badly eroded over the past three years.

And nobody is happier than Gloria Makofane who was fired from a factory in Burgersfort because she could not get to work during the floods last year.

"These graders will change our lives. We will soon receive post, bread and commute in taxis," she said.

In 2002, President Thabo Mbeki declared the area a point for intense development.

Limpopo Premier Sello Moloto identified the area together with Maruleng in the Mopani region, Blouberg in the Capricorn region, Fetakgomo and Makhuduthamaga in the Sekhukhune region, as some of the poorest municipalities in the province.

The Limpopo growth and development strategy also identified Burgersfort as a provincial and district growth point with significant economic activity and a point of future economic growth.

Technical services director in the Greater Tubatse municipality, Bruce Mohlaba, said resources needed to be redirected to address the most critical needs to push back the devastating poverty in the region.