Inside the North West villages where cars, taxis, ambulances and roads are a luxury they do not have

While the North West government has been criticised for forking out almost R1m for 20 donkey carts they donated to two villages, community members who received the carts told TimesLIVE Premium these were practical donations suited to their needs.

The traditional leader of the Manawana and Dibono villages, Kgosi Mpho Tawana, said: “If not donkey carts, then what?” 

He and the community graciously welcomed the donation which came from the department of community safety and transport last week. 

Tawana said the donated carts were a welcome and much-needed asset for his community.

“Most of the people in this area are not working and rely on social grants to put bread on the table. This is also the only mode of transport that can work in our area because we don’t have roads,” he said.

Tawana told TimesLIVE Premium the carts would mostly be used to transport pupils to school, ferry the sick to clinics and also transport villagers to the neighbouring village, where they can catch buses — the most common form of public transport in the area. 

“We don’t have public transport in this area. To get a bus, villagers have to travel about 20km to neighbouring villages to catch a bus from there. There are no taxis at all in this area,” he said.

No one has a car here. If people say they should have bought bakkies for us, who was going to pay for the fuel? One thing for sure is that we would not afford petrol.

—  Traditional leader, Kgosi Mpho Tawana

“Donkey carts are our main means of transport because donkeys can walk anywhere, even in a bushy place where there is no road,” he said.

Tawana painted a bleak picture of people living under dire conditions with very limited services. He said the carts would also be used by villagers to fetch water from communal taps. 

The village has no school and children travel more than 20km to get to the nearest primary school.

Tawana said scholar transport buses found it difficult to  access the villages because the existing gravel roads were in a bad condition. 

Cars, he said, were a luxury item that most of his villagers could not afford. 

“No-one has a car here. If people say they should have bought bakkies for us, who was going to pay for the fuel? One thing for sure is that we could not afford petrol, and as I have already mentioned, we don’t have roads for those bakkies. The carts are the only suitable thing for us,” he said.

Ward councillor in the area, Tshepiso Motshabi, said he also had no problem with the donation, because it is what they use daily.

He said those who criticised the initiative spoke from a place of privilege. 

“This will make the lives of many better because they will no longer have to walk long distances,” he said. 

Motshabi said 90% of the population is unemployed. He said if anything, they were looking forward to receiving more carts from the department. 

One of the recipients is Neo van Wyk, 30, who told TimesLIVE Premium she’s happy with the donation. 

“I use the cart to take my children to school daily and I also use it to go to the clinic, to fetch water and wood. This is what I have always needed because I used to struggle and relied on asking others with carts for lifts,” she said. 

The North West department of community safety last week announced that it spent R780,000 on acquiring 20 donkey carts which were given to villagers. This fee also includes a service plan.

“In line with the National Land Transport Act, this seeks to alleviate challenges faced by rural communities. The carts were manufactured in Lonely Park in Mahikeng and there had been a skills transfer to some of the beneficiaries,” said the office of MEC Sello Lehari.

“As part of the contract with the department, the service provider will maintain the carts for the next three years at no cost to the owners. The 20 carts were procured for a total of R780,000, inclusive of the three-year maintenance plan. The two-seater is R32,500 each and the four-seater is R45,500,” it clarified. 

Lehari last week participated in a handover ceremony for the animal-drawn carts, which have government branding on the side.

His office expressed excitement over the project, saying it hoped it would better the lives of community members.