Deputy Speaker, the confusion around government's position on two controversial cross-boundary municipalities continues. The announcement by Minister Shiceka indicated that referendums would be held at Moutse and Matatiele in order that the residents of those communities would be able to make their own decisions in a democratic manner whether to remain as they are or to return to their original provinces.
The referendum which was held at Moutse determined that voters want to be incorporated into Mpumalanga. The people of Moutse have had their say and hopefully peace will prevail. Yet, despite these promises, Matatiele residents are still in the dark, and although dates have been given, uncertainty still reigns as the Minister of Public Works has now added to the confusion by stating that the residents of Matatiele will not have a referendum and that a decision was taken that they would remain in the Eastern Cape province.
This statement comes as a shock to the majority of the residents of Matatiele who for years have fought their reincorporation into KwaZulu- Natal and who still intend to take the matter to the Constitutional Court in order to secure their rights as voting citizens of this country. This confusion must be cleared up immediately if government is serious about allowing the constitutional rights of its citizens to be upheld.