Ward committees have a purpose, so use them!

Ward committees, where for art thou?

The people shall rule? Or shall they?

It has been a long time since the postponed election and the disastrous council being elected as a result in Nelson Mandela Bay.

It is very clear, even for a humble bystander or far-off citizen, to note that millions of votes were wasted because not even one single political party, never mind politician, has any idea of leading the already beaten and hammered council from the previous term.

The city is in tatters and now the water problem is even making it worse.

The DA and ANC were equally at fault, and should be tarred and feathered for standing by and playing politics while the dams ran dry.

Now they are virtue signalling and pretending they had nothing to do with it.

No wonder they are both bleeding support to a point where people don’t give a hoot about voting any more.

People have become disillusioned; they are leaderless and worst of all hopeless.

But what people forget is that they are not powerless.

The ward committee system is by law the exact system that was legally put in place to circumvent politics and parties.

It gives residents the power to govern their own municipalities, making decisions from liquor licences to approving cellphone towers, parks and even restaurants and building plans. That ward committees have not been chosen is another indictment on the political parties.

They are as scared of losing power over the wards and budget as they are over the council.

No ward budget or municipal budget can be approved without the public participating, and it can be challenged with measures of up to jail time.

The law is clear. It is time for the people of Nelson Mandela Bay to take charge of their city, because it is clearly leaderless.

Demand with the IEC for ward committee elections! Francois Greyling, former Nelson

Mandela Bay DA councillor between 2011-2021