9 Desember 2011
Potchefstroom Herald
27
Left behind
Aletta Bekeer lives in the informal settlement in abject poverty. Poverty and unemployment in this godforsaken community have led to massive social problems. Cheryl Botha The people of Lindequesdrift may be forgiven for feeling a bit like “The little boy that Santa Claus forgot.” The popular Christmas song by Vera Lynn goes on to say: “And goodness knows, he didn’t want a lot.” Neither do the residents of the picturesque but sleepy little village. Here there is no supermarket, no post office and a school that has had to close because of a high voltage Eskom line overhead. “But the biggest thing on their wish list this Christmas is a community hall. “That would sort out about sixty percent of our problems,” says Wim Soontiens, resident and member of the community policing forum. No one knows why Lindequesdrift, situated right on the point where the Free State, Gauteng and North West Province meet, falls within Tlokwe City Council’s jurisdiction. Strange really, when you consider that it is 38 kilometres from Vanderbijl Park, 35 from Parys and sixty from Potchefstroom. “So we’re actually in no man’s land,” says his father, Henry, chairperson of the CPF for the area. No wonder, then, that the community also battles along without services that most Potchefstroomers take for granted. Like a convenient rubbish dump or landfill site, storm water drainage, a clinic or tarred
roads. In what Soontiens describes as a “long and difficult” process, residents got together six years ago and took the initiative to tar the 3,6 kilometres of road they know as ‘Oorbietjiespad’ because, they say, it looked like a river in rainy weather. Before that they had to grade the surface on a regular basis. It was the residents who also fenced off four servitudes used to water livestock, to prevent people from squatting there. Three years ago Lindequesdrift was incorporated into ward 2 of Tlokwe, most of which falls in the Mieder Park area, and residents had to start paying rates and taxes. Because these do not include services like refuse removal and sewerage, residents still face a big dilemma. Since it is illegal to dispose of refuse outside your province or by burning or burying it, they travel 60kms to Potchefstroom to dispose of their rubbish. Collecting pensions is even worse because there is no public transport or taxi service to Potchefstroom, according to Henry. They have been told that they will have to travel to Potch to enjoy luxuries like the library or swimming pool. Locals from the informal settlement nearby can take a taxi to Parys for R20 one way. It goes there twice a day but only once a day to Vanderbijl. Johan Faber, treasurer of the CPF, points
Left: The informal settlement at the Vaaloewer turn-off is regarded by residents as a major crime generator.
Right: The interior of one of the few shops – situated at the Kruger’s Kroon resort.
out that government uses revenue from rates and taxes to provide basic amenities like a fire depot, library, clinic, cemetery and community hall but agrees that the most urgent need is for the latter. “We have to hold public meetings in the open air because there is no venue big enough. We could also use it for pensions, clinics or skills development, and the municipal departments can use it to render services,” he says. One of the women who would benefit is Aletta Bekeer who lives in the informal settle-
ment close by. She has three children but no job. When one of her children gets sick she must either wait for the monthly mobile clinic or for an ambulance to come from Parys. Louise Grové, a former nursing sister, also helps out where she can. Ever the optimist, Henry is confident that the ward councillor is working with the mayor to address service backlogs. “These things take time, though. Eighty five percent of councillors were appointed just seven months ago and it takes a long time to get projects approved,” he says.
Left: Henry Soontiens and Johan Faber discuss the minutes of the IDP meeting held in Potchefstroom on Tuesday.
Right: Welcome to the picturesque village of Lindequesdrift where residents are proud of the 3,6 kilometre stretch of tarred road that they built with hired machines with technical advice from the NW roads and transport department.