Vote for functioning municipalities to save our towns and cities

From Makhanda to Nelson Mandela Bay, a dangerous message is again taking root in the Eastern Cape.

If communities want basic services, or even to be acknowledged, they first have to protest.

The problem has always been there, but it seems to be picking up steam once again.

In Makhanda, residents marched for days last week over water shortages, sewage problems and years of deteriorating service delivery before municipal leaders finally responded and intervention teams arrived in affected areas.

Residents in the Grogro informal settlement in Nelson Mandela Bay recently blocked Kragga Kamma Road in protest over the lack of basic services, with tensions escalating as long-standing demands for electricity and infrastructure were again brought to the fore.

While their plight in Grogro remains the same, the municipality finally took notice.

The details do differ from ward to ward, but the pattern is familiar.

People complain. Nothing happens.

Residents raise concerns through official channels. Nothing happens.

Residents protest. Someone, somewhere, listens in a municipal office.

But this is not governance.

Residents should not need public outrage before sewage leaks are fixed or electricity is restored.

Protesting is a constitutional right, but it should not have to be used as a tool to get basic services.

You have to ask why urgency appears only when people take to the streets.

This question matters as the November 4 local government elections approach — the frustration is visible in Makhanda, Nelson Mandela Bay and elsewhere in the province.

It should serve as a warning to every political party.

Communities are tired of speeches. They are tired of promises. They are tired of leaders appearing during campaigning but then disappearing.

The November elections will not magically solve the Eastern Cape’s problems overnight.

But they remain one of the most important opportunities residents have to shape what the next five years will look like.

If communities want change, they cannot surrender their voices to WhatsApp groups and apathy.

This election, Eastern Cape residents must vote not out of habit or loyalty, but to demand functioning municipalities.

There is really no other choice to save our towns, cities and villages.

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