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EASTERN CAPE: Residents of Cefane Hoek, a rural village near Ngcobo, Eastern Cape, say they have been cut off from clinics, schools and emergency services after floods washed away the only bridge connecting their community to nearby towns.
The bridge, which connects the village to Ngcobo and Elliot, was destroyed during heavy rains that hit part of the province last month.
Elderly residents say the situation has made it even harder for them to access medical care.
Seventy-four-year-old Nosakhele Godlwa has lived in Cefane Hoek her entire life and says the village has struggled with poor services for years.
The nearest clinic is 20km away, which means residents have to pay a steep R80 per trip.
Godlwa relies on her monthly old-age grant of R2400, which supports her and her five grandchildren.
Living with high blood pressure, she relies on her children, who work in Cape Town, to bring her medication.
“I usually travel to the Western Cape to get better healthcare treatment twice a year,” she says.
Decades of poor infrastructure
Dr AB Xuma Municipality communications manager, Zintle Bobelo, tells Health-e News the municipality is aware of the situation at Cefane Hoek.
She says recent heavy rainfall had a significant impact on road infrastructure across several parts of the municipality.
But residents say they’ve lived with poor roads for years. The only road leading into the village is a gravel road riddled with potholes.
“Last year we paid R50 per household to buy sand and concrete to fix the road ourselves”, says Godlwa.
“The municipality initiated remedial measures, which include backfilling the bridge to restore access for motorists,” Bobelo says.
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She says road rehabilitation work is also planned, including the installation of culverts and trapezoidal drains to improve stormwater management.
“The extent of damage caused by the recent heavy rains”, says Bobelo, “has placed considerable strain on municipal resources.”
Bobelo adds that infrastructure improvement projects have already started in other villages and will begin in Cefane Hoek soon.
Broken promises
But residents say they have heard similar promises before.
“What is delaying them? Year after year we hear empty promises,” says villager Makhosonke Vutha.
“Why must we walk more than an hour to access public transport more than 30 years into democracy?”
“This road and bridge have been neglected for years,” Vutha says.“Asikhathalelwanga thina apha (nobody cares about us). Why must we fix things ourselves when we vote every time and are promised a better life?” – Health-e News
