Villagers have to carry corpses 15km

After 26 years of democracy, Madindi villagers in rural Mqanduli still have to fetch their dead relatives’ bodies from the mortuary and walk the coffin 15km home on their shoulders.

There is no proper road linking the village to the tar road from town.

Desperate pleas to King Sabata Dalindyebo municipality for a road had fallen on deaf ears for years, they said.

The villagers aired their frustrations to KSD mayor Nyaniso Nelani during a mayoral imbizo in Lower Tyholo village near Madindi on Tuesday.

But KSD’s technical services director, Unathi Mnqokoyi, told them their wait would have to continue because the access road was only number three on the priority list of roads to be constructed.

According to the municipality’s schedule, KSD was planning to construct the Khalalo access road in 2021 and the Thuthwini road in 2022.

“In our plan, Madindi is third on the list.

“Perhaps if residents of ward 21 can discuss and agree which road they want done first we can change our plan for them,” he said.

Speaking to journalists on the sidelines of the imbizo, a frustrated Velesazi Sonka said the community had been pleading for a road for decades.

“When there is a funeral on a rainy day, a mortuary van has to offload the coffin next to the tar road,” he said.

“We use an old bed as a stretcher to carry the body to and from the tar road to Madwaleni. It seems like we are living in another world.”

He accused municipal bosses of not bothering to visit the village to witness their plight firsthand.

“We are not sure whether we will vote in the next local government elections.

“Our ward councillor has failed us. We have never even seen him since we voted for him in 2016.”

Resident Andile Bhokoda said KSD was also a failure because it did not fulfil its promises.

“They only come when they need us to vote.”

A Lower Tyholo traditional leader, Nkosi Phongomile Zwelebhunga, said traditional leaders in ward 21 had held a meeting with Nelani before Tuesday’s imbizo about the state of roads in the area.

He said Nelani was told of the indignity of having to carry corpses over 15km to the village.

“We feel neglected. Nearby villages under Mbhashe municipality are getting service delivery while we are frustrated by KSD.

“The government should just consider moving us to Mbhashe municipality,” he said.

While Madindi was not on the top of the list, Nelani said: “Our plan is to start in February 2021.”

Mqanduli police station commander Col Bekekile Waka said it took police longer to respond to crime incidents in the area due to the bad roads.

“Our vehicles need to be repaired time and again. People are getting killed in these villages but we arrive late.”