Mlungisi Maseko may not have considered himself a hero, but there can be no other way of describing his selfless act of using his Road Accident Fund payout to bring water to his village.
Maseko’s story, which we carried on this platform yesterday, has touched many South Africans who are in awe of his sacrifice to give his community water that their government has failed to provide.
He had grown tired of seeing his community in Mooiplaas village in the Chief Albert Luthuli local municipality in Mpumalanga struggle to get water from a stream about 5km away. So, he thought he would use his money – a payout he received after he was involved in a road accident in 2018 – to buy them water tanks, pipes and other equipment to bring water closer to their homes. He ultimately parted with R1.3m for this. At least 105 households now have water which Maseko said brings him so much joy. He was employed as a scaffolder before the car crash.
“After leaving my job, I dug my own borehole to water my two hectares of farming land. Seeing the community I grew up in suffering and old people carrying water buckets for 5km, I met with them and told them about the plan to draw water from the stream to their households,” he said.
Maseko’s story bears testimony that community heroes willing to sacrifice material possessions for the betterment of society are not in short supply in our country. Equally, his story exposes the flaws in the capability of the state that has failed to deliver on its constitutional mandate, such that ordinary citizens have to fill the gap.
The Chief Albert Luthuli local municipality, which is responsible for the provision of safe and clean drinking water to residents of Mooiplaas village and others, has simply neglected this fundamental duty for years.
Instead, when told of Maseko’s efforts to help his community, the municipality said it has been in contact with him so they could work together in future. This is frankly a poor attempt by a municipality that has been found to have wasted public money in successive years to do damage control while communities struggle with water provision.
If half of South Africans had Maseko’s heart, generosity and willingness to help their neighbours without expecting anything in return, then our communities would be better places to live today.
SowetanLIVE
SOWETAN SAYS | Maseko's selfless act worth praise
Mlungisi Maseko may not have considered himself a hero, but there can be no other way of describing his selfless act of using his Road Accident Fund payout to bring water to his village.
Maseko’s story, which we carried on this platform yesterday, has touched many South Africans who are in awe of his sacrifice to give his community water that their government has failed to provide.
He had grown tired of seeing his community in Mooiplaas village in the Chief Albert Luthuli local municipality in Mpumalanga struggle to get water from a stream about 5km away. So, he thought he would use his money – a payout he received after he was involved in a road accident in 2018 – to buy them water tanks, pipes and other equipment to bring water closer to their homes. He ultimately parted with R1.3m for this. At least 105 households now have water which Maseko said brings him so much joy. He was employed as a scaffolder before the car crash.
“After leaving my job, I dug my own borehole to water my two hectares of farming land. Seeing the community I grew up in suffering and old people carrying water buckets for 5km, I met with them and told them about the plan to draw water from the stream to their households,” he said.
Maseko’s story bears testimony that community heroes willing to sacrifice material possessions for the betterment of society are not in short supply in our country. Equally, his story exposes the flaws in the capability of the state that has failed to deliver on its constitutional mandate, such that ordinary citizens have to fill the gap.
The Chief Albert Luthuli local municipality, which is responsible for the provision of safe and clean drinking water to residents of Mooiplaas village and others, has simply neglected this fundamental duty for years.
Instead, when told of Maseko’s efforts to help his community, the municipality said it has been in contact with him so they could work together in future. This is frankly a poor attempt by a municipality that has been found to have wasted public money in successive years to do damage control while communities struggle with water provision.
If half of South Africans had Maseko’s heart, generosity and willingness to help their neighbours without expecting anything in return, then our communities would be better places to live today.
SowetanLIVE