Deputy President’s Visit to Jagersfontein Nothing but a PR Stunt

10 May 2023

Deputy President, Paul Mashatile’s visit to Jagersfontein was nothing but a PR stunt will no benefit for the people of Jagersfontein who remain in destitution.

Apparently, Deputy President Mashatile was there on a service delivery oversight visit. This is after the dam tragedy that happened in September 2022. Numerous promises were made by various government departments and to date, not a single one of those promises was fulfilled.

A far better use of Mashatile’s time would have been to put pressure on the government departments to ensure that their promises were fulfilled and that basic services were restored for the community.

To date nothing has been done to improve people’s lives, 186 families remain displaced with no houses. After eight months the government has managed to build three sample houses to demonstrate what the government can do for people. This is an indictment to the Free State government.

ActionSA is relentless in its support to the Jagersfontein community, we have provided them with essentials such as food and diapers for children to alleviate the pressures placed on them.

We have written numerous letters to various state departments and Chapter 9 Institutions demanding accountability, to date no response from all these entities except for the Human Rights Commission, which agreed to investigate gross violation of human rights.

Trompsburg, Fauresmith, Edenburg and Jagersfontein have been without water for years due to the money owed to Bloem Water. He once again made an empty promise that the money owed to Bloem Water would be paid but made no assurances as to when this would happen.

ActionSA will leave no stone unturned in ensuring that Jagersfontein residents are treated with dignity and that they will not be victimized again by these cold-hearted entities.

Issued by Patricia Kopane, ActionSA Free State Provincial Chairperson, 10 May 2023