Uitenhage residents protest over grievances
PROTESTING Uitenhage residents threatened yesterday that all hell would break loose if eviction orders in the McCarthy and Moeggesukkel areas were carried out.
They also called for land to be made available for housing and asked for skills development for the unemployed.
About 1 500 residents from wards 48, 49, 50 and 53 took part in the march from KwaLanga to the Uitenhage Town Hall, where they handed their grievances to a municipal official.
Protest organiser Mgcini Mejane also expressed concern over the killing of 11 cattle by a farmer last month, citing that as a reason why people should be allocated land for economic activities. “We are very concerned that a white farmer can just shoot and kill livestock that belongs to poor black people,” he said.
People renting accommodation in backyards were paying up to R600, while rich farmers were leasing entire farms for R25, Mejane said.
“We are calling for all political parties that claim to represent the poor to lead the debate on the question of land,” he said.
Mejane also called on the private sector to train people and create jobs for the unemployed.
“We demand that every company in the metro commits to job creation and every ward must have development programmes,” he said.
The memorandum was received by Selwyn Wills from the office of the speaker,