Monday marked the fifth protest in the past week for Makhanda residents who have now threatened to shut down the streets every single day until mayor Yandiswa Vara addresses their concerns.
Vara was chased out of Scott’s Farm by angry protesters on Monday morning as she embarked on her weekly service delivery programme.
Makhanda has been plagued by service delivery issues since December, with residents demanding action from the municipality.
After Vara embarked on a clean-up last week in Vergenoeg, residents hoped it would be extended to other parts of the small Eastern Cape city.
However, all the municipal vehicles and teams that had been working on the Monday were nowhere to be seen the next day and residents decided to take to the streets to protest again.
Grahamstown Deserves Better chair Devon Waldick said residents would protest every day until the mayor addressed their demands which were laid out in a memorandum that was handed over to municipal manager Pumelelo Kate in February.
“The only thing the mayor did last week in Vergenoeg was put mud in the potholes; the water situation is still the same there, there is no water.
“The water is on from 7am until 9am — that is all the water we get in a day, while clean drinking water spills out onto our streets all day and night.
“Every day water runs in the streets but not in our taps.
“We are not happy with the response of the mayor so we will fight our fight in the streets.
“This morning [Monday] was the fifth protest we have had since last week.
“There is absolutely no service delivery in Grahamstown. The only department that really comes out is the electricity department when we have queries.”
He said two weeks ago they gave the mayor seven days to respond to their demands.
The mayor thinks that by putting mud in the potholes she has achieved something, but we are totally gatvol with this situation that is occurring in Makhanda now
— Grahamstown Deserves Better chair Devon Waldick
“The mayor thinks that by putting mud in the potholes she has achieved something, but we are totally gatvol with this situation that is occurring in Makhanda now.”
Waldick stood with a group of residents in Currie Street as they planned Tuesday’s protest.
“Tomorrow we are all meeting at 3am and we will take to the streets again.
“We will continue every single day until she comes to tend to our problems, but until then we will not stop.”
The Herald reported in February that the newly introduced above-ground water meters across Makhanda were being vandalised and stolen in numbers.
A local scrap dealer was arrested on February 24 allegedly in possession of stolen water meters and is facing charges related to damaging essential infrastructure and possession of suspected stolen property.
Resident Patricia May, who is a grandmother of two and mother of four, said residents should not have to protest every time they need services.
“The mayor, the municipal manager, the speaker all know what our problems [are].
“They promise and promise but it is all empty promises.
“I don’t have a toilet. We are adults but the municipality does not care about us.”
Makana municipality spokesperson Anele Mjekula said the municipality had embarked on service delivery programmes every Monday in different areas in Makhanda to engage with communities and address service delivery challenges raised by residents.
Mjekula said on her visit to Scott’s Farm on Monday morning, the mayor, councillors and municipal officials were chased out of the area by protesting residents.
“After being chased away they were forced to abandon the programme in Scott’s Farm, which prevented them from continuing to address service delivery issues in the area.
“Following the disruption, the delegation visited Vukani to continue the service delivery programme and engage with the community.
“In Vukani, the municipal teams identified several damaged streets requiring attention, as well as leaking taps that were wasting water.
“The reported water leaks were noted and referred to the municipal water team for repairs.
“The municipality is committed to continuing these interventions and ensuring that all identified concerns are attended to throughout the week.”
Mjekula said the mayor would continue her service delivery programme every Monday.
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