Wells Estate residents confront former councillor
ANGRY Wells Estate residents yesterday forcefully cornered former Nelson Mandela Bay councillor Thembinkosi Mafana, calling him to account for housing bungles that were among the myriad of service delivery issues in the area.
The fed-up residents blamed Mafana for there being “no development” in the area and said because of this he would have to be at the frontline and lead their future service delivery protests.
The crowd cornered Mafana during a community meeting at an open space in the township yesterday.
It was then put to a vote whether to allow him to stay in the area and lead the community or to chase him away.
Residents overwhelmingly voted for the former, saying he should stick around to right his alleged wrongs.
Community leader Mandisa Masiki told the former safety and security portfolio committee chairman that if he did not work with the residents, he would feel their wrath.
“Our Wells [Estate] will only be corrected by us comrades. Let us not see the police here and not raise our concerns. I want to tell you now, Mafana, that if you do not do as we agree here, we will deal with you,” she said.
“When you hear a whistle calling a community meeting you will come. You will lead all our illegal protests. You will be our tool.”
However, Mafana did not agree to this.
“I will attend community meetings, yes, but I will not lead anything that will be illegal,” he said.
Mafana resigned as a councillor after an instruction from the ANC regional task team following his controversial trip to China in 2013, where he is alleged to have masqueraded as the city’s mayor.
ANC Youth League regional chairman Xolani Mgxotheni and the league’s regional executive member Siphiwo Tshaka, who accompanied Mafana on the trip to China, were forced to leave the open space where the meeting was held.
Police monitored the meeting but there was no violence.