The decision by residents of Malamulele, in Limpopo, to demand the establishment of their own municipality is a sign of the deep-seated problems that the government has avoided resolving for years.
At the heart of the protests - which have resulted in schools, businesses and government offices being closed - are allegations that Thulamela municipality, under which Malamulele falls, provides better services in areas dominated by Venda-speaking people and neglects those mostly inhabitated by Shangaan speakers.
Malamulele residents claim that their area has seen very little development, hence their demand for their own municipality . They, in effect, want to go back to the old apartheid boundaries, which separated VhaVenda and Shangaans.
We will be failing in our democratic project if our people have the urge to revert to the apartheid boundaries.
It cannot be that, in 2015, we have one section of our community demanding a return to a discredited system.
It cannot be that our political leaders are turning a blind eye to this crisis, hoping it will resolve itself.
Thulamela municipality should provide services equitably. Delivery of services should know no colour or ethnicity.
It also does not help when there are perceptions that senior posts in the public service are reserved for certain ethnic groups.
Politicians have a duty not only to resolve the Thulamela debacle but to act in accordance with our constitution.
We urge Local Government and Traditional Affairs Minister Pravin Gordhan to speedily and decisively resolve the impasse.
When he visited Malamulele last year, just before the national elections, President Jacob Zuma was unable to come up with a solution.
Failure to provide basic services gives rise to polarisation on the basis of race and ethnicity.
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