DUNOON | JOE SLOVO PARK | WOLVERIVIER | KWA 5 | KILLARNEY GARDENS | MONTAGUE GARDENS | MILNERTON | TABLE VIEW | WITSAND
April 2016
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Protesters taking land fight to a wrong person, says ANC councillor PETER LUHANGA
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n the wake of ongoing protest over land for housing, ANC ward councillor in Dunoon, Lubabalo Makeleni is being held to ransom over City of Cape Town owned land on which hundreds of backyard dwellers are targeting to invade to erect shacks. Makeleni a husband, and father of five young children aged one, four, six, 10 and 13 is fearing for his family safety as hundreds of back yard dwellers who are not baying for facts but rather for blood— continue to toyi-toyi in front of his RDP house hurling insults at him and his family. Makeleni said the group of protesters are threatening him with death should he not free the township. This, he said has left his children traumatised and they’re fearing for their safety. “My wife and children are not a councillor they do not work for the City yet they are being targeted in these protests,” said Makeleni. On Friday, April 8 the protesters
handed over a memorandum of grievances and demands to the City of Cape Town Executive Mayor Patricia de Lille giving her seven days to provide them a favourable response failure which they’ll escalate the violent protests. Makeleni said the protesters upon their return from handing over their memorandum of grievances and demands to De Lille they came to toyi-toyi at his house. “They told me I must leave my house…I must leave Dunoon saying I haven’t delivered since I was erected as their councillor but I’m not going to run away. I’m not leaving. I’m not an illegal immigrant. They can’t demand that I leave Dunoon. I’m a South African,” he said. He said since he was erected as a Dunoon ward councillor and working with the City and not against it, has borne fruit as a lot of critical development projects have successfully been implemented in the township. He said since he was erected as a ward councillor most informal set-
tlements in the township has been electrified. He said other successes under his leadership include the City’s purchase of land on which Kwa 5 squatter camp is situated adjacent to Dunoon, and under his leadership Dunoon Community Health Centre’s (CHC) was built replacing the previous substandard Dunoon clinic He said he also facilitated and motivated the need to upgrade Sophakama and Dunoon primary schools which are now state of the art primary schools similar to those built in affluent suburbs such as Tableview. He also said he had also brought the Shoprite Shopping Centre and more recently Pick ’n’ Pay at the door step of the township. “These are some of the development I have brought in Dunoon in collaboration with authorities,” he said.
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Residents are baying for the blood of ANC ward councillor in Dunoon, Lubabalo Makeleni accusing him of not delivering and not authorising them to invade City of Cape Town land. ~ Photo. Peter Luhanga.