Municipality's R3bn debt hits businesses, residents hard

Spaza shop owner Angel Mahlangu has been forced to use her hard-earned money to pay for refuse removal in front of her property due to the failure of the Bushbuckridge Local Municipality to provide services.

- By Tshwarelo eseng Mogakane

Mahlangu's reputation for hygiene and freshness has won her loyal customers, especially schoolchildren, who arrive with coins in hand and cravings in their hearts. But in an area where residents go for months on end without water or refuse removal, running a business or a household is a challenge.

"When there's no water, I have no choice but to keep the shop closed," Mahlangu said.

Her frustration is shared across Bushbuckridge, a sprawling municipality in Mpumalanga province now mired in a financial crisis. The local government is owed more than R3.1-billion in unpaid service charges and property taxes.