Closure of Clover yet another sign of chaos

Many of us were outraged this week when news broke that dairy company Clover SA had decided to close the country’s biggest cheese factory in the North West and plans to move its operations to KZN.

The company cited poor service delivery from the Ditsobotla municipality in Lichtenburg.

For years the business, like residents of the town, has had to contend with poor road infrastructure, water shortages and constant power outages.

In a statement Clover said it already had operations in Queensburgh, and the eThekwini municipality had been supportive.

The direct impact, it is understood, would be the loss of some 300 jobs for people around the small town of Litchtenburg.

Mindful of the disastrous consequences of this decision, the North West government has intervened, trying to convince Clover to reconsider its decision.

The outcome of those talks is yet to be announced. But worth noting is that the intervention of the provincial government seems reactive and does not reflect the kind of proactive approach to a situation as dire as this.

Ditsobotla mayor Tebogo Buthelezi admitted as much on Tuesday, when he told this newspaper that the company had been raising its concerns for a number of years.

The Clover story is not an isolated one. It is the story of households and business across the country. Importantly, it highlights the catastrophic consequences of the broader local government crisis on our economy.

Our towns and cities are broken as a result of mismanagement, political instability and corruption in councils across the country.

Many are not able to render the most basic services such as clean water, electricity and properly maintained roads, let alone doing so consistently.

So obsessed with access to patronage, those elected to serve have not only become blind to the ruination around them, they have weaponised chaos as a populist tool to preserve their power.

The destruction of our towns and cities, and its direct impact on our livelihoods, must compel us as citizens to interrogate the leadership choices we make and the basis upon which we make such choices.