As South Africans prepare to say one final goodbye to the former finance minister Tito Mboweni, last minute and frantic roadworks, including the patching of huge patches of road were seen taking place in the run up to his funeral.
Locals in his Tzaneen hometown are worried that the government is putting political optics ahead of true reverence.
Mboweni, who died last Saturday at the age of 65 following brief illness will be afforded a Special Official Funeral Category 2.
The official funeral will take place at Nkowankowa Stadium in Tzaneen, Limpopo Province.
President Cyril Ramaphosa will deliver the eulogy at Mboweni’s funeral.
While burial preparations were underway, the Mopani District Municipality was seen in action to address infrastructure-related challenges in the area.
Most busy roads between Polokwane to Tzaneen were getting new coats of paint, and potholes were being patched.
Some community members, meanwhile, believe that these initiatives are more about political posturing than they are about paying respect to the late minister.
Speaking outside Mboweni’s home, Limpopo Premier Phophi Ramathuba said the residents’ concerns and frustrations about the lack of service delivery were genuine.
“Residents complaining about how they are unemployed, raising issues that their children have gone to school and graduated and that they are at home with their qualifications,” she told EWN.
Ramathuba added that it was difficult to motivate the youth to go to school because of the many graduates and skilled people who are without jobs.
“It’s a ticking bomb,” the premier said efforts will continue to mount to improve and fight poverty in the province.
Lack of service delivery has plagued Limpopo for several years now but Ramathuba promised to tackle the situation.
This included providing water, sanitation services, health care services, electricity, proper road maintenance and safety, good quality education as well as jobs.
In a brief interview with IOL, Salome Maunadlala, a resident in the area, explained how the sudden delivery of services shocked them because they were not used to that.
“Our deepest condolences to the Mboweni family for their loss but see how now the streets are cleaned and patched. There are no potholes now.
“This is the kind of delivery we need from the government,” she said.
Khathu Maimela called on the provincial government to pull up their socks because “clear this is possible.”
“Hardly a week but you can already see the municipal works. Must we wait for this kind of situation first? No, it cannot be,” he said.
Neighbours, family, and residents have started making their way to Mboweni’s funeral.
kamogelo.moichela@iol.co.za
IOL Politics