Residents of informal settlements and hostels in the East Rand have given the City of Ekurhuleni a week to come up with a plan to address service delivery challenges in their areas.
The disgruntled residents came in their numbers to demonstrate outside the municipality as councillors were engaged in a power struggle inside the council chambers, the EFF led the defence of mayor Sivuyile Ngodwana who faced a motion of no confidence tabled by Action SA.
“Its been thirty years of hell for the communities in areas such as Katlehong, Kagiso and Voslorus as they have been sold dummies one after the other,” said protest leader Bongani Makhubo.
Makhubo said residents now want to be provided with electricity, water and sanitation at their current informal settlements home because they have lost hope of ever being given houses.
“We want the speaker to investigate the housing project in our area which has been under construction for as long as I can remember yet is never concluded. Speaker we think this project is there as a cash cow for corrupt officials because a lot of money has been pumped into it but there’s nothing to show,” said another leader to Speaker Nthabiseng Tshivhenga who used the council break to meet with protesting residents.
Tshivhenga said the municipality is already attending to some of the issues which includes fixing potholes, repairing leaking sewerage pipes as well as general repairs at hostels.
“We need not wait for seven days. Your leaders have to come to the office on Thursday so they can sit down with us a plan of addressing your issues,” said Tshivhenga.
While the communities were not formally led by a political party, they also reiterated the demands of Action SA and the ANC for the Mayor Sivuyile Ngondwana, Tshivhenga herself and EFF councillors serving as Members of the Mayoral Committee removed.
After addressing the angry residents Tshivhenga went back inside the meeting where she continued presiding over the heated meeting.