Residents threaten to return to streets

RESIDENTS in Jacksonville, Lerato Park, Colville, Roodepan and Galeshewe are planning to return to the streets as they are tired of empty promises.

“We agreed to suspend protest action last month with the undertaking that we would be provided with water, electricity, sanitation and land. The municipality is not honouring its commitments.

“We will dump our uncollected sewage buckets in the mayor’s office because we are tired of living under these conditions.

“The CBD will be shut down, where no taxis will be operating from next week, if we fail to get any satisfactory responses.”

Residents in Lerato Park added that they would be moving their shanties into phase two at the formal housing section.

“We have been waiting for two decades and cannot wait any longer for Sol Plaatje Municipality. We are being sent from pillar to post. There will be plots allocated and illegal electricity and water connections secured for 1 476 shacks.”

They objected to a screening process that will exclude those who had found employment from qualifying for a house.

“There are people with a bad credit history that will not be granted a bond by the banks. We do not want to be screened. This is while people are being given houses when they are not rightful beneficiaries.

“We will withhold our votes if we do not get what we want.”

Jacksonville residents added that they would also make their own illegal electricity connections.

“People are relieving themselves in the bush and the cemetery and are being raped.”

Galeshewe residents stated that in the absence of being provided with alternative land, they would not be moving from land they were illegally occupying.

The residents invited everyone to join in protest action should they not receive any satisfactory answers in the next seven days.

Manager in the Office of the Mayor, George Mosiemane, explained that committees had been set up to deal with service delivery issues in the affected communities.

“Numerous meetings and interactions were held with the representatives of these committees. We cannot operate outside the parameters of the law and need to follow due processes.”

Mosiemane encouraged anyone with grievances to approach the Office of the Mayor if they required any feedback. “The mayor has an open-door policy.

“The threat to protest appears to be politically motivated.”