Home | South Africa Police in the North West have launched a manhunt after the bodies of a 48-year old woman and her 10-year-old son were discovered at their home in Letlhabile, near Brits on Friday. A family member of Emily Mashabela and her 10-year-old son Thabiso was called by the neighbours who told him they are observing a lot of flies and a terrible smell coming from the house. The man then called the police who discovered the two bodies. “At this stage, the police cannot confirm the cause or the motive of the killings. Investigations into the matter are underway. The police request anyone who may have information that can assist in the investigation, to contact the investigating officer, captain Tokkie Du Plessis, on 082 575 8228 or call the South African Police Service (SAPS) crime stop number on 08600 10111,” says Lieutenant Colonel Amanda Funani, Police Spokesperson. BRITS & MAHIKENG - At least three crucial multimillion-rand projects have fallen into a state of dilapidation after being neglected by the Madibeng Municipality, in the North West.  These include a fire station in Letlhabile, a sports stadium in Mmakau, and an unfinished roads project in Hebron.  With South Africa now poised for its 7th general elections, Eyewitness News has taken to the streets across the country, feeling the pulse of the nation as citizens prepare for the national and provincial polls. This past week, Eyewitness News was in the North West, where Madibeng residents gave their accounts of what it is like to live in one of the country’s most poorly managed municipalities. These projects are examples of initiatives that could have greatly enhanced the quality of life for their respective communities, but have instead been left in ruins due to allegations of corruption or incompetence. Between 2015 and 2022, the Madibeng Municipality bore the title of the worst-run municipality in the country, after receiving seven consecutive disclaimer audit opinions during that period.  This is the worst opinion that can be given by the Auditor-General. The mismanagement of the municipality’s finances has had a real-life impact on communities in the city. One such community is Letlhabile, where residents have been calling for a fire station in their area for some time. So, when one was eventually built and completed last year, there was joy in one of the city’s largest townships. However, this joy would quickly turn into despair as the municipality did not have funds to capacitate the station with firefighters, administrative staff, and more crucially, security. With the newly built station left unguarded, vagrants pounced on it, stripping it for parts. The Lethlabile Fire Station was built in 2015. Years later, it has never been used, and left to dilapidate. Homeless people and drug users have moved into the building. Picture: Xanderleigh Dookey Makhaza/Eyewitness News Roof tiles, copper pipes, garage doors, toilets and anything metal or portable has been stolen from the station. The freshly painted face bricks are the only reminder of the station’s young age. The station is now a "drug den", according to community members.  When Eyewitness News visited the station, it was occupied by young, homeless men who have cordoned off certain sections of the station with dirty drapes. Picture: Xanderleigh Dookey Makhaza/Eyewitness News The station is in the middle of large field of uncut grass. The white walls have blackened due to fires, and there is strong stench of human feaces in the air. Tsholo Khutoane, a public representative councillor from the Save Madibeng party, said the station could have made a huge difference in the community, aside from firefighting. “The fire station could have made a lot of jobs, securities, people who clean the area, community members could have been employed in that fire station if it wasn't for the callousness of the municipality,” he said. A cracked wall of the Lethabile Fire Station. Picture: Xanderleigh Dookey Makhaza/Eyewitness News Not too far from Letlhabile, another multimillion-rand white elephant stands derelict. The Mmakau sports facility, a collaboration between local and national governments, is now a grazing field for cows. Completed in 2017, a lack of security and maintenance has seen the facility fall into ruin. The Mmakau sports centre was built and handed over to Madibeng in 2015. It was also abandoned. Much of the building materials have been stolen. Picture: Xanderleigh Dookey Makhaza/Eyewitness News When Eyewitness News visited the stadium, a young herdsman was leading a large drove of cattle towards the grass - which used to form part of a soccer field. The melodic sounds from bells hanging from a plumpy cow’s neck while it walks slowly around the facility, feasting on overgrown grass, breaks the eerie silence of a facility that should be bustling with activity. The tennis and basketball courts have not fared much better, with thick sand covering the asphalt surfaces. The multipurpose centre and change rooms have been stripped for parts, and smell like cow and human faeces. Change rooms stripped for parts inside the Mmakau sports centre. Picture: Xanderleigh Dookey Makhaza/Eyewitness News Resident Lucas Malatji is an amateur footballer, whose local team used to play at the stadium. He said the sorry state of the stadium cut deeply into the social fabric of the community. “My brother, there was nothing we could do, because the community was part of the people who were vandalising the stadium; it was our community leaders stealing everything,’’ he said. The goal posts, nets, flood lights, fence, and anything portable has been stripped from the facility. Another resident, Bennett Serepa, said children in Mmakau had been robbed of recreational activities after school. “The children can’t play here because it is no longer safe, they can’t play soccer because you see how messy it is. When the community wants to use the stadium for an activity, it can’t,” he said. Meanwhile, in Hebron, a much-needed roads project has turned into a nightmare for the area’s elderly population. After digging large trenches in front of people’s yards, the contractor took their tools, left, and never returned. Building materials meant for road projects in Hebron, North West, lie abandoned on the pavement. Picture: Xanderleigh Dookey Makhaza/Eyewitness News One of the roads in Hebron, North West dug up and left after an incomplete road rehabilitation project. Picture: Xanderleigh Dookey Makhaza/Eyewitness News And while young people in the area can easily navigate their way easily around the holes, the elderly say they feel trapped inside their homes. One grandmother, who did not want to be named, explained her daily struggles as a result. “When I have to do groceries or go to work, there is no way I can leave my house, [I] have to ask the people from next door to help me cross this hole. I hope the contractors really do come back and fix this, and do what they promised us in the first place,” she said. In an interview with Eyewitness News, Madibeng Mayor Douglas Maimane blamed previous administrations for the three failed projects.  Maimane said while the municipality wanted to rebuild these projects, it was bogged down by financial constraints. With a diminishing revenue base, Maimane said the municipality relied on grants from the National Treasury to fund its capital projects.  Sections from graphic design and editing to marketing strategy all have one thing in common our love and passion for getting the right message out there Over the past 13 years the Platinum Weekly has cultivated a large readership in Rustenburg and the greater North West province resulting in our circulation figures being double that of our closest competitor Our inhouse distribution team makes use of the latest technology including GPS tracking and mapping to ensure our newspapers reach our target audience every week at a place and time convenient to them continuously turning the screws to optimise and reach dependable consistency in our distribution DISTRIBUTION AREAS: Rustenburg • Phokeng • Brits • Hartbeespoort • Mooinooi • Marikana • Kroondal • Koster • Swartruggens • Derby • Boshoek • Sun City • Mogwase • Moruleng   E-mail : news@platinumweekly.co.za | ads@platinumweekly.co.za © 2017 - All Rights with Platinum Weekly Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker