Mayor’s Christmas & New Year Message

08 December 2020

The time of the year has come, where families come together to celebrate the achievements made over 12 months and to reflect on the challenges faced.

It is also the period to open our hearts to those who are less fortunate and who cannot enjoy the festivities of the season.

2020 has been the most difficult year for the country and the entire world as we experienced severe hardships posed by the Covid-19 pandemic. This invisible, dangerous beast brought serious socio-economic instability, loss of jobs and instable income, loss of opportunities, and most of all, loss of valuable lives.

With all these aggravating factors, the nation is suffering, the church is suffering and everyone fears for his or her life. Notwithstanding, we are faced with negligence and/or ignorance of our people who intentionally, purposefully or deliberately choose not to adhere to Covid-19 regulations and protocols – both at the workplace and in public. Please note that safety starts with you !

On the flip side, we went into local government by-elections that ushered in new councils that are given mandates to lead beyond the new normal. We would like to applaud the manner in which such by-elections were conducted and the way our people displayed the level of maturity and tolerance to one another. This is how we can build our country and many can learn from us.

We must commit that this year should be different from other years in terms of road fatalities. We are concerned about many people who are losing their lives on the roads due to the behaviour of other road users. Let us all make sure that people on the roads reach their destinations safely.

We call upon people to desist from drinking while driving, because we want to save lives on our roads. This can only be achieved if we become careful on the road and respect the lives of other road users.

Let us be aware of those who take advantage of the festive season by committing criminal activities. They know that people will be going to various destinations and they then target their homes and houses. We must become the custodians of our neighbourhood by promptly reporting suspicious activities to the police.

To the youth of our town and our country, please stop engaging in the consumption of toxicants as they are dangerous and unnecessarily doom your future.

To all men and women, in the strongest terms possible, gender-based violence and femicide will not be tolerated !

Furthermore, as we are aware of the scourge of HIV and AIDS, including all related sexually transmitted deceases, let us use protection as and when engaging in sexual activities.

In conclusion, let me take this opportunity to wish all the wonderful people of Tsantsabane local municipality, our stakeholders, our social partners and everybody a merry Christmas and a prosperous new year.

May God bless you all.

Councillor Mpho Mashila

Executive Mayor

Tsantsabane local municipality