‘We want services’
Ezibeleni residents demand removal of two ward councillors for alleged non-delivery
AGROUP of Ezibeleni residents marched to the Enoch Mgijima Local Municipality (EMLM) offices on Tuesday, citing complaints about poor service delivery and calling for the removal of two ward councillors. One of the march organisers, Thulani Bukani, said residents were tired of ward councillors who made empty promises.
“Last year Ward 4 councillor Mzikabawo Ngesi and Ward 6 councillor Siza Gwampi said EMLM had funding to start fixing the roads. They never disclosed when the project would start, but we were asked to choose between the main roads and the streets between our houses.”
Bukani said EMLM executive mayor Nokuzola Sisisi Tolashe held a community meeting last month to tell residents that the road construction project would start by July 1.
“We believe Tolashe heard about our plans to march and had come to counter it this way.”
He claimed that ward councillors hired relatives and friends and that RDP houses were being rented out to foreigners to use as shops.
“Gwampi said at a recent meeting [it was proposed] the municipality’s service charges would increase.
“We reject the proposal. How can these increase when there are poor services and sewage spillages? People are not working – how are they expected to pay?”.
Tolashe received the memorandum, and was given seven days to respond.
EMLM spokesperson Fundile Feketshane said the municipality would investigations the allegations.
Gwampi said the claims were untrue.
“When there are jobs I work with ward committee members who provide the list of community members.
“The roads project will be adopted at the Soma on Thursday. The councillors do not give houses to foreigners to use as shops but it is the people who own the houses who do that. We are against that.”
Ngesi could not be reached for comment.