City elders’ lives on the line
Councillors want protection after stonings, homes razed
COUNCILLORS have called for urgent intervention from government regarding safety, after the stoning of their homes in Harare, Khayelitsha, and the setting alight of their offices. The SA Local Government Association (Salga) is already looking into the safety needs of councillors on a national scale after noticing an “alarming trend”.
“After observing how municipal officials were increasingly targets we decided to call on the safety needs to be reviewed. Being targeted not only affects their loved ones and the communities they serve, but the local government sector and its constitutional mandate of service delivery,” Phindile Chauke, Salga spokesperson, said.
“Salga will be looking at all the factors that may be contributing to the problem and put together proposals for consideration by the Ministry of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs, and other relevant stakeholders for implementation,” Chauke said.
Councillor Themba Honono of Ward 114 Mfuleni, a victim of the community’s rage, lost everything as violent protesters torched his house and car in 2015.
“You will never understand the pain and frustration of losing everything you had until it happens to you. You will never understand the sleepless nights and trauma of living in fear as threats are coming from all directions. If and when the city is planning to demolish shacks, they should think about us first because we are always the targets when they do that. I have had many threats and many incidents happen. We are offered protection after you have lost everything.”
Honono said he was unaware of the protest as he was in the Eastern Cape at that time.
Speaker of the City of Cape Town alderman Dirk Smit said: “The Office of the Speaker applies protection services to councillors in terms of the Department of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs’ Remuneration of Public Office Bearer’s Act, 1998, particularly in terms of Section 14.1 (e) which deals with personal security as one the Tools of Trade that a municipal council may extend to a councillor and which applies to all councillors, subject to a threat and risk analysis conducted by the South African Police Service.”
Councillor Siqhamo Batala of Ward 96 Khayelitsha said: “I witnessed the death of a great councillor, Xolile Gwangxu of Philippi East, last month and there have been others before him who were killed and we are still questioning ourselves about the motives. These murders and threats are evidence that our lives are on the line.”
Spokesperson for mayor Patricia de Lille, Zara Nicholson, said: “Threats have an adverse impact on the community and service delivery as ward councillors are the closest contact between the city and the community. With councillors being threatened, this creates tension and means councillors fear for their safety and therefore may have to temporarily step back from activities. This has an impact on how effective they can be.”