Wheelchair-bound activist backs peaceful march in Grahamstown

A WHEELCHAIR-bound quadriplegic, who helped organise recent service delivery protests in Grahamstown where residents blocked roads and burnt tyres, is in support of a peaceful march tomorrow by the SA National Civics Organisation (Sanco).

Siyabulela Sodladla, 31, said yesterday Hlalani residents had decided to take to the streets after years of pleading with the Makana Municipality to sort out water, sanitation and other infrastructure challenges had fallen on deaf ears.

“The only time the politicians listen is when we protest. Young and old decided to close roads and burn fires to get a response from the municipality. We are tired of empty promises.”

Attempts to get comment from municipal spokeswoman Yoliswa Ramokolo were fruitless yesterday.

Although busy township roads were blocked to traffic recently when Hlalani residents burnt tyres and wood, Sodladla stressed the Sanco march to city hall would be peaceful.

He said many of the problems plaguing Hlalani were also common in other areas in Makana and that they hoped to get answers tomorrow.

Sodladla, who has been in a wheelchair for eight years without use of his arms or legs after a horrific rugby injury, said residents were unhappy that they were still using unhygienic pit toilets, that housing delivery was slow, roads were bad, water supply was erratic and of poor quality, crime was rife and unemployment high.

He said the toilets often overflowed as they were not emptied regularly and were at times not cleaned after collection over an erratic water supply.

Although work had begun on getting homes connected to waterborne sewerage in 2012, Makana mayor Zamuxolo Peter told Hlalani residents at a meeting last week that problems with different contractors over the years had stalled the project.

Bongile Singata, Grahamstown’s Sanco chairman, said Sanco did not have a political agenda and the march was about poor service delivery by the Makana Municipality.

“You can’t politicise issues like water and sanitation; we are concerned and saying enough is enough.

Singata said the march had widespread community support and officials from church groups and Rhodes University management were expected to attend.

Unqualified people had been working in key positions in water purification to the detriment of the town and Singata called on top municipal employees to “crack the whip”.

During a tour of Hlalani and other areas, Singata said Sanco planned to demand that it be kept up to date on service delivery initiatives so it could help ensure funds from the government were properly used.

He said Sanco was even prepared to help officials conduct an audit of all low-cost housing after it had emerged that many people who had been on the list since 1994 had still not been accommodated while others who were not received homes.