Issue 175 - FREE
11 May 2018
Community News. Original - accurate - first
017 631 1903 / 017 631 1845 • admin@thebulletin.co.za • 1 Kiewiet Street, Secunda (Lake Umuzi)
Trouble in paradise Nine ANC ward councillors held a press conference at the eMbalenhle Public Library on Wednesday 2 May 2018. During the gathering, they expressed immense dissatisfaction at the functioning of Govan Mbeki Municipality, and their resulting decision to withdraw from municipal activities. This comes after a meeting with the Executive Council of Govan Mbeki on 17 April was unproductive. Remembering the day, councillor John Nkosi of Ward 31 said that “they were so arrogant.” The meeting was meant to address the issue of poor service delivery in Govan Mbeki, as well as touch on the unique
challenges faced by ward councillors. “Instead,” said Councillor Nkosi, “they continuously asked us what the status of that meeting was, and went on to say that we were not allowed to call a meeting with them without following the correct procedure.” The councillors alleged that when they asked what procedure this was, they were told that they should approach the office of the speaker first to request a meeting with the mayor, as he is in charge of the councillors. The meeting was reportedly unfruitful, and members of the executive committee left without having discussed what was intended for discussion.
Had the meeting gone according to plan, Nkosi explained, then the councillors would have brought forth the major issues of the electricity schedule and interruptions thereof, sewer spillages in eMbalenhle, waste removal backlogs, the poor condition of roads, land audit and evictions, as well as the state of the local cemetery, amongst others. These frustrations were voiced in a meeting with Nhlakanipho Zuma, speaker of the executive council, in a meeting the following day. Upon suggestion that this be taken to an approaching council meeting, the nine ward councillors refused. “We are not going to attend any council meeting
until the problem of service delivery is solved,” Nkosi said on Wednesday. “We didn’t come to a conclusion about when service delivery would be discussed,” he went on. The councillors are also baffled by the municipality’s lack of prioritisation. “The replacement of service delivery trucks [22 of which were lost during the first Eskom riots in eMbalenhle] with bakkies doesn’t make sense to us. The township’s most serious needs should have been prioritised,” said Douglas Mahlangu, councillor of Ward 7. It was further stated that the executive committee has a tendency to hold meetings with the ward councillors simply for the sake of compliance, but that they had no intention to improve the state of Govan Mbeki Municipality. “We hold these meetings but nothing ever changes, we are only there to put a rubber stamp on a piece of paper,” said Mahlangu. Drawing on Thandi Ngxonono’s previous portfolios in Planning and Development, as well as Finance, the nine councillors conceded that she could not and would not ever deliver or cater to the needs of the community. Whether she is simply incapable or unwilling to do so is yet to be found out. “The majority of the community of eMbalenhle are paying for service delivery, yet when it is time to do the actual delivering, they are the first to be overlooked and sidelined,” said Councillor Mahlangu. As such, the ward councillors will remain withdrawn from the activities of the council until their voices are heard, and above all, taken seriously. - Rori Rathebe