Following the site briefing for the upgrading of a section of the MR950 road between N14 intersection and Dithakong village, phase three of the project the Road Forum has unleashed an awakening call for the politicians to contemplate decisively.

Firstly, the forum is perturbed by the fact that an advertisement to the effect that the phase three project of the road was done, had appeared without their knowledge.

The forum claims that at the meeting that was held in July 2018, all stakeholders, involving Public Works, mayors and chiefs, had agreed that every step towards the new development, all stakeholders would be contacted. In that meeting mayors had hinted that by September 2018 a new contractor would have been introduced, only to see an advertisement recently – not from the local newspaper, but from an Upington publication.

After seeing the advertisement, the Road Forum committee approached the Joe Morolong municipality and the district mayors about why they had not been informed and also not told that there would be a site briefing thereof. “As the road forum committee, we believe we are an integral part of the project and a direct mouth piece of the community.”  The Road Forum was tipped off about the site briefing of the road in Dithakong and they went to attend the briefing, but were, however, depleted of joy.

On arrival at the site briefing, the committee was not introduced when the Chief Director of Public Works department was busy briefing the site inspection procedures. The Road Forum interrupted the process simply wanting to know why the mayors were not present.

According to the chairman of the Road Forum, Mr Kagiso Gaborokwe, the forum is only used as a fire extinguisher between authorities and the community when tensions are high, they are called to intervene and when normal, they are set aside.

He said that another sensitive issue is that of employment opportunities where councillors and the department become employment agencies instead of engaging the steering committee in the exercise. Currently the Road Forum committee is conducting meetings at the affected communities, briefing them about the developments.

The community response is not as sweet for the politicians to relax. It has vowed that this time schools would not be closed down as was in 2012-14, instead learners will continue to attend lessons as usual. Schools would not be used as election stations in any way this time.

The robust message is that the community of the Joe Morolong constituency has declared that they would rather fall under the North West province where they initially belonged and have their votes under the same province because they no longer want to be used as political snippets living on false hopes.

After the deliberations the site briefing was postponed to another date yet to be set.