Mthethwa ‘lied to hostel people’

HOSTEL residents in Soweto, near Johannesburg, have accused Police Minister Nathi Mthethwa of lying to them during a recent election campaign in the area.

Angry residents at the dilapidated Diepkloof hostel say Mthethwa has failed to live up to his promise of urgently moving them to temporary shelter after witnessing their plight in February.

A Sunday Times reporting team was present last month when Mthethwa and local councillor Solly Mogase promised to move the residents within two days. “The contractor will be here on Monday,” Mthethwa assured residents on February 8.

He reiterated this when a Sunday Times journalist asked him to elaborate on his promise to move the residents by Monday February 10.

However, the residents were still occupying the falling buildings this week.

Lucky Ndlovu, who lives in a partially collapsed building, said Mthethwa had lied to them just because he wanted their votes.

“If Mthethwa does not come back and deliver what he promised, we are not going to vote. They have been lying to us for a very long time. As you can see, we have no toilets, no electricity and no water.”

But Mthethwa, through his spokesman Zweli Mnisi, denied making the promises.

“The minister confirms that he was in Diepkloof on February 8 this year in his capacity as an ANC deployee. He further confirms that, as part of the delegation that was in the vicinity, the issue around dilapidated hostels was raised by the residents.

“The minister was accompanied by a delegation that included a local councillor known as Mr Mogase. He is the one who made such an undertaking.”