KaSiko residents wish to vote under Maphalaleni
KASIKO - Residents of KaSiko Royal Kraal have threatened not to participate in the 2023 national elections if they are not allowed to vote under Maphalaleni.
All along the residents were voting under Maphalaleni Constituency, but that position changed after Ka6iNo was incorporated into +huNwini Con stituency during the recent tinkhundla boundaries adMustments.
6peaNing during the ongoing civic voter education e[cercise which was held at the royal Nraal over the weeNend, the residents openly told the Elections and Boundaries Com mission (EBC) officials that they were not going to participate in the ne[t national elections.
7he residents responded with a round of applause when more than three speaNers concurred that they no longer wanted to be part of +huNwini.
2ne of the speaNers, -abulani Dlamini, started by declaring to the commission¶s representatives that the area¶s residents no longer wanted to be part of +huNwini Inkhundla.
Incorporation
Dlamini stated that incorporation of Ka6iNo into +huNwini Inkhundla was tantamount to taNing the residents to the wilderness as they had never benefitted anything since the amal gamation. +e further highlighted that their lives were better off when they were under Maphalaleni Inkhundla.
³:e never complained about road maintenance while under Mapha laleni Inkhundla. 7he heavy ma chinery was availed as and when the need arose while we were under Maphalaleni Inkhundla. 7he maMority of the residents benefitted from the rural electrification scheme sponsored by the 5egional Development )und.
³7his was so because the M3 was a freTuent visitor to the royal Nraal, where we met him directly,´ Dlamini said. +e alleged that the incorpora tion of the royal Nraal to +huNwini Inkhundla made their lives difficult, claiming that they no longer had access to the heavy machinery for road maintenance as well as rural electrification. According to Dlamini, the hardship was caused by the failure of the M3 to visit +huNwini, whom he claimed they last saw during the campaigning process of the elections.
Meetings
³, am not sabotaging him but it¶s a fact.´ Dlamini added that +huNwini was situated appro[imately Nm from Ka6iNo. As a result, he said the area¶s residents hardly attended inkhundla meetings due to the long distances and transport shortage which was caused by the state of the roads. +e said the residents no longer benefitted from free local deliveries whenever they purchased building materials from the nearby hardware.
Dlamini mentioned that the resi dents were compelled to use donNeys as a mode of transport due to the poor state of the road.
7he resident pointed out that for one to travel to the inkhundla centres, he she had to walN Nm to access public transport before travelling Nm at a cost. +e said the hardship had seen the elderly and the youth not attending the inkhundla meetings resulting in them missing out of the programmes and proMects.
³:e used to travel only Nm to get to Maphalaleni Inkhundla. ,f the EBC really respect the will of the people, let them return Ka6iNo bacN to Maphalaleni Inkhundla. :e have spoNen and no one will ever speaN on our behalf,´ Dlamini said before the residents responded with a round of applause.
Bridges
Dlamini said he believed that return ing bacN to Maphalaleni would help them construct more bridges as the area was colonised by many rivers yet they had low level bridges. 7hey stated that they were hoping to access clean water as opposed to using the contaminated rivers.
+e was supported by 9usi 6ime lane who claimed that former EBC official, Ncumbi Maziya, allegedly promised that Ka6iNo 5oyal Kraal would be returned to Maphalaleni ,nNhundla by . 6imelane stated that the area¶s residents were never pleased by their incorporation into +huNwini Inkhundla.
³:e are not going to participate in the ne[t ( ) national elections if not returned to Maphalaleni Inkhundla,´ he said.