Residents accuse Mbhashe councillor of violating lockdown regulations

An ANC ward councillor in Mbhashe municipality has been accused of violating lockdown regulations by holding a community meeting attended by more than 200 people on Monday.

At least two residents of Bhojeni village in Willowvale under Mbhashe’s ward 23 told the Dispatch their ward councillor, Ludwe Mantshiyose, had held a meeting on Monday with more than 200 people in attendance.

According to lockdown regulations, public gatherings of more than 50 people are prohibited.

The residents said when they pointed out the regulations to Mantshiyose, he allegedly responded: “Imithetho iyophulwa

[laws are always broken]”.

Contacted on Wednesday, Mantshiyose declined to comment and referred questions to municipal spokesperson Ncebakazi Kolwane.

He said this was in line with Mbhashe’s policy.

Resident Bonginkosi Sigcawu, who was among those who attended the meeting, said the community hall where people had gathered had been filled to capacity.

The meeting was held between 11am and 3pm.

“We tried to stop him but he said laws are always broken,” Sigcawu said.

“There were elderly people in the crowd. People were standing right next to each other.”

He said after trying to reason with the councillor, who also served as the ANC’s ward 23 chair and was accompanied by members of the executive, Mantshiyose finally agreed to move the meeting outside the community hall.

He said the meeting was convened to report on municipal governance issues, municipal capital projects and steps being taken to combat Covid-19 in the ward.

Fellow villager Yanga Meyiwa said it was not the first time Mantshiyose had convened a community meeting attended by more than 50 people.

He said the hall’s windows were not open and no sanitisers had been organised.

“Some people went there carrying their own soap and water to wash their hands.”

Kolwane acknowledged Monday’s meeting but said the village formed part of a small fraction of Mantshiyose’s ward.

She said the venue was meant to deliberately limit the number of attendees.

The meeting itself was aimed at responding to a communitybased Covid-19 rapid response strategy which called for resuscitation of “war rooms” in an effort to manage the spread of the virus, “cognisant of the fact that Mbhashe is one of the hotspots within the Amathole district municipality”.

Kolwane said the councillor had told her that he had expelled other people who came from other voting districts and had not been invited. This was done to try to keep the numbers below 50 as per regulations.

“We can also confirm that the meeting was held in an open space, everyone was wearing a mask and attendees sanitised frequently,” she said.

Meeting was called to discuss, among others, steps being taken to combat Covid-19 in the ward