Sanco leads delivery protest

TYRES were set alight as residents gathered for a service delivery protest outside the Emalahleni municipality offices in Dordrecht yesterday.

The South African National Civic Organisation (Sanco) Dordrecht chairman Luyanda Saleni said residents packed the municipal offices full last week demanding answers on claims of nepotism and a lack of service delivery in the small town.

“This emanates from the meetings and letters we have been writing to the municipality crying over the employment processes followed within the municipality.’’

The Rep reported (“Samwu, Sanco tackle municipal issues”, March 3) that the organisation believed that there was an abuse of power, including that employment was based on political connections, at the municipality.

Saleni said the residents faced ongoing service delivery challenges in the Tyoksville township, including power cuts and increasing crime.

Refuse collection was not being done, he claimed, saying the area was dirty. Taps in the area were running dry. “We have water for only two or three days a week and then people have to go to the river to get water with their buckets. Even the roads are in a bad condition.”

Saleni said the residents would only stop their protest when mayor Nomveliso Nyukwana addressed them.

E-mailed questions were sent to Emalahleni spokesman Luthando Nqumkana and to the Chris Hani District Municipality, which oversees the water function, early yesterday. At the time of going to press, no responses had been received.