Some residents in the Polokwane Municipality in Limpopo want the city to fast-track service delivery and infrastructure development before they can officially obtain Metropolitan status.

Residents in Seshego, Mankweng and Thoka want the city to resolve their water shortage challenge and errors in municipal rates, as well as fix roads.

Polokwane has obtained a Grade Six level which is a requirement for a municipality to get the Metro status.

These are the views of residents. “What criteria did they use to declare the municipality a metro? We are facing water shortages—you’ve seen the situation yourself. The potholes on our roads still need to be fixed. This status is just an excuse for looting, allowing them to steal money and expand the payroll for comrades. We cannot accept this. For three years, we have been suffering without water.”

Executive Mayor John Mpe says they are investing in several water projects to ensure residents have adequate water supply.

“The issue of declaring a metropolitan is a demarcation process. Now the revenue in terms of grading was crucial we have been able to move from 1.7 billion to 2.5. There is construction going on in Polokwane so this works well for us to achieve the metropolitan status we have short-term and medium-term projects some of which have already started. We are addressing the problem of water.”