Chaos erupts during service delivery march to civic centre
Khayelitsha residents marched to the Civic Centre and the Provincial Legislature to hand over a memorandum of grievances to the Mayor and Premier.
Image: Mandilakhe Tshwete
PROTESTING Khayelitsha residents have given the City and the provincial government seven days to respond to their memorandum demanding increased delivery of basic services.
Their march to the Civic Centre got off to a rough start when residents and police clashed on Wednesday.
Hundreds of marchers, led by councillors Lonwabo Mqina, Khayalethu Kama, Thando Mpengezi and Ndithini Thyido, arrived at the Civic Centre singing struggle songs.
Moments later, tension flared when a few protesters were pepper-sprayed as they tried to walk up the stairs to demand that the mayor receive their memorandum in person.
Their demands include the completion of the Kuyasa Retrofit Project, electrification of informal settlements, installation of new and maintenance of existing high-mast lights among others.
“We demand the extension of the Kuyasa Clinic and the completion of the Kuyasa Retrofit Project. Phase 1 of this project was suspended because funds were reprioritised for Covid-19. We demand an immediate resumption of this project.
Councillor Thando Mpengezi condemned the police for using pepper spray on marchers outside the Civic Centre in Cape Town.
Image: Mandilakhe Tshwete
“We want the electrification of all informal settlements in Ward 99 and the rest of Khayelitsha. We want water and sanitation upgrades, including sewer pipelines, access, and tar roads in Monwabisi Park, Zamimpilo, and New Dawn.
“We also want high-mast lights to be installed and maintained, as 99% of these lights are not working. This is not the only problem faced by Ward 99; other communities like Wards 91 and 87 face similar challenges.
“We want the installation of toilets and taps in all informal settlements of Ward 99, as the City of Cape Town doesn’t meet the ratio of one to five.”
Mqina added that residents also want new primary and high schools in Monwabisi Park.
Thyido said the residents were demanding that they be met by the Mayor so they could hand over their very legitimate list of demands to him in his executive capacity.
“He instead sent junior officials, who would not have an idea of what was addressed. We are going to revisit him. We are going to make Geordin’s life miserable.”
Their next stop was the Western Cape Provincial Legislature, where Cultural Affairs and Sport MEC Ricardo Mackenzie accepted the memorandum on behalf of Premier Alan Winde.
“Thank you to the councillors for raising these matters. These are councillors, elected councillors within the City of Cape Town, and they are bringing these matters to the Western Cape Government. They sit in the council every single day, but there are many issues they have raised. The premier has asked me to come and accept their demands, and I know he will share them with the mayor of Cape Town as well.”
Cape Times