Shocking mismanagement at the municipal stockyard in Bothaville, where R7 million worth of prepaid electricity meters have vanished, abandoned vehicles are being stripped in broad daylight, and a once-thriving paving stone assembly line has collapsed, destroying local jobs, has been uncovered.
During a recent oversight visit by the Democratic Alliance (DA) Free State Legislature and NCOP members, alongside local and district councillors Thinus Barnard and Mahalia Khosi, several critical concerns were identified. Key areas inspected included the stockyard, the police station and the hazardous R59 Klerksdorp/Bothaville/Hoopstad road.
“The stockyard is in outright disrepair, featuring a dilapidated fence and no security personnel. Multiple abandoned vehicles and yellow fleet are allegedly being stripped for parts in broad daylight. An unsecured storehouse contains numerous boxes of unused prepaid electricity meters worth millions; these meters were of the wrong specifications and couldn’t be used but were never returned,” says Barnard.
He says the our oversight further revealed that the town’s infrastructure has been left to collapse under ANC governance; the Bothaville police station has been condemned as unsafe, with no holding cells and too few officers to ensure residents’ safety; and the R59 road linking Hoopstad, Bothaville and Klerksdorp has become a death trap.
“Hundreds of children walk this hazardous route daily to reach schools such as Humansvlakte, Bovaal, Loskuil, Kleinbroek and Nampo,” he says.
Known as the maize capital of South Africa, Bothaville is essential for regional agriculture. However, the transport of produce has become excessively costly due to poor road conditions and an absence of efficient rail services. Transporting a ton of maize by truck is nearly three times more expensive than by train. The recent collapse of an access bridge has also forced a 40km detour to reach the silos.
Bothaville has immense potential, exemplified by its hosting of the largest agricultural show in the Southern Hemisphere.
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