TSHWANE Mayor Randall Williams and his coalition administration have been accused of neglecting kasis in and around the city.
Gatvol residents of Olivenhoutbosch near Centurion, led by the EFF, took to the streets on Monday, 29 August, over service delivery and the removal of Williams as the mayor.
The residents shut down the busy R55 road, which connects the area to the N14 to Pretoria with burning tyres and rocks.
However, towards midday, the roads had been opened for traffic.
Speaking to Daily Sun, EFF Tshwane Chairman Obakeng Ramabodu said: “We have decided to go to the ground in different areas. This is just the beginning of many protests against the mayor. The mayor has decided not to take care of people, particularly in the township areas. They didn’t know these words called: ‘service delivery’.”
He further said: “The city is dirty. There is no service delivery. There is sewer around the area and there are power cuts in the area, and our people are not able to enjoy the so-called freedom.”
He said the townships are neglected by the coalition administration.
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“The administration has taken a decision not to service the township. That is why we are on the ground to ask our people what must be done with the situation on the ground.”
Ramabodu said the land issue is a problem in Tshwane as people in most places cannot afford to buy houses.
“The houses are there in the estates. These people here can’t afford them. Families here are staying 15 people to 20 per house. There is an appetite for land; the land that should be given to them for free.”
Winnie Mthimnye (30) told the People’s Paper: “We want stands. Most of us are renting and we are not working. The R350 is not doing much in our lives.
“Even our children’s Sassa grants are not much, which is why we want to get land where we are going to stay for free and pay no rent.”
Winnie said they had identified land they were planning to occupy.
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She said if the government can’t give them houses, they should just give them land to build for themselves.
Tshwane mayoral spokesman, Sipho Stuurman said the MMC for community safety would issue a statement on the matter.
“As the city, we obviously condemn this illegal and opportunistic protest by the EFF. The party is represented in council and should use that space to raise concerns instead of disrupting services to the same community they claim to be representing. Our TMPD (Tshwane Metro Police Department) teams are on the ground and monitoring the situation and will ensure that it doesn’t get out of hand.”
