Today, we stand in a community where politicians have put their own selfish interests ahead of the interests of the people. The people of Mogalakwena Municipality voted for this Council, but those in charge have now forgotten about this community.

And they will do this time and time again, until the people take back their power by voting differently in 2016.

You, the people of Mogalakwena are suffering, while the ANC in the town fights with itself for the spoils of power.

These two factions now find themselves locked in a court battle for power. While this goes on, service delivery has come to a standstill.

They say, “When elephants fight, it is the grass that suffers”. In this instance, it is a case of when the politicians fight, it is the people who suffer, as we see here.

While electricity supply is now at risk in all of South Africa, in Mogalakwena power-cuts are an ongoing daily reality due to neglect. The basic system of prepaid electricity purchasing has even become dysfunctional here as ANC factions go to war with one another.

Like President Zuma who said load-shedding is not the ANC’s fault, the ANC in the area refuses to take responsibility for this crisis of poor service delivery.

I have seen how the health and safety of children is being threatened as heaps of rubbish gather on the street corners. We see how the water in Mogalakwena’s taps has run dry.

Here in Mogalakwena, the ANC has failed to deliver services and account to you, the residents. That is why President Zuma must account to Parliament for the ANC’s mess at local government level, for load-shedding, for Nkandla, unemployment and the many problems that South Africa faces.

If there is no accountability at the top, then that disregard for citizens filters down to areas like Mogalakwena.

It’s not just Mogalakwena that is without leadership, the country is without leadership. The country is without a President who is serious about accountability and the rule of law.

Unfortunately the sad story of government failure at Mogalakwena is playing out in many municipalities across this province and country, while the ANC wages internal battles for power and control of resources.

It is the voices of the people here in Mokgalakwena that we must remember in holding the President accountable for the true state our nation.

Power to the People! Amandla!