The Star Reporters
Johannesburg - The City of Bloemfontein is generally dysfunctional, with water problems, sewage problems, refuse collection, potholes, and load shedding being some of the service delivery issues affecting the lives of the citizens in the province.
These are the opinions of ordinary people who spoke to The Star on the streets of Bloemfontein ahead of Cyril Ramaphosa's highly anticipated January 8 statement, which is set to take place this Sunday at Dr Petrus Molemela Stadium.
In his declaration, Ramaphosa committed the party to ridding the country of crime, gender-based violence, state capture, load shedding, and other challenges to service delivery plaguing the country.
The mood on the street, however, is divided over the party's promises, with many people in Bloemfontein reacting to the presence of the ANC leadership in the province ahead of the January 8 statement, which is set to take place on Sunday.
The Star visited Charlotte Maxeke Street in Bloemfontein on Friday, just when the town was plunged into darkness due to Stage 3 load shedding. The town came to a standstill for two hours, with snaking queues at ATMs and retail shops being the order of the day as locals awaited the return of electricity.
Speaking to The Star, Danie Dibakiso of Bochabelo, Bloemfontein said the filth and litter on the streets of Bloemfontein are always a sorry sight, adding that the town has been cleaned to make it seem everything is in order ahead of Ramaphosa's visit.
Dibakiso decried high levels of crime and drug addiction among young people, saying she hopes the presence of the president and his commitment to fighting crime will yield results for the city of Bloemfontein, which is badly affected by the scourge.
"Nyaope is a big problem here. Our children are addicted to nyaope, and the police are not able to do anything about it. There's a drug house where children smoke nyaope and commit crime which is really bad around here,“ Dibakiso said.
She added that, besides the drug problem and crime, the roads of Bloemfontein and the potholes were big issues that needed the attention of the ANC.
"The roads are very bad, and we have a big pothole problem which really affects us as commuters. Commuting from work to home is a big issue that we hope the ANC will be able to resolve as a matter of urgency ... We also have a taxi rank that has been been built but still stands unoperational five years after it was built.
“Load shedding is another big issue. We are suffering as a result of load shedding, which damages our appliances and affects our businesses. Right now I am at work, but I can't work due to load shedding," Dibakiso told The Star.
As people wandered the streets, some oblivious to Ramaphosa's presence in the city, police officers stationed at Free State Provincial SAPS headquarters were seen having conversations and catching up with each other this afternoon at Charlotte Maxeke Street in town.
One of the officers, who spoke with Independent Media, but wanted to remain anonymous, said this was a normal thing to happen when there is load shedding.
"As officers, we are stuck outside the building because there is load shedding. Once power is restored, we will go back and continue with our work," said the officer.
Mokoai-Moletsane branch treasurer Thabo Jonisani said they are expecting service delivery after the ANC celebrations.
"The issue of slow service delivery is a challenge in our area, especially water. So we hope that when we meet Gwede Mantashe this afternoon, we will tell him that the municipality is very large and has a challenge. And we want them to come down and make sure that these issues are addressed, especially water," said Jonisani.
As if to spite the people of Bloemfontein, electricity returned, as did the life of the city itself. Minutes later, a convoy of ANC politicians making their way to other ANC engagements following Ramaphosa's golf challenge was seen passing by the very same Charlotte Maxeke street.
The Star