Cape Town - Hundreds of frustrated Philippi residents marched to protest against poor service delivery on Thursday morning, while police monitored the situation.
Marikana and Rholihlahla informal settlement residents marched to the Fezeka municipal offices in Gugulethu to demand basic service delivery.
About 200 residents dressed in yellow ANC branded T-shirts with a picture of President Jacob Zuma, marched down Sheffield Road, voicing their frustration.
As they sang struggle songs, police in two vans kept an eye on the situation in an effort to prevent violence breaking out.
Residents claim they have had no access to water, sanitation and electricity since moving on to privately-owned land at Marikana and Rholihlahla in August.
A series of eviction attempts by police and other officials ended in violence and residents soon returned to the site.
Phillip Mvundlela, chairman of the Rholihlahla Street Committee, said residents had signed a petition which would be handed to the chairman of Subcouncil 13.
“The subcouncil chair must hand the petition to the mayor (Patricia de Lille) and she should see that we get these services,” he said.
Mvundlela said residents were not aware the land they had invaded was privately owned.
However, he said even if it was privately owned, the fact should not infringe on their human rights.
“Its been three months now. How do they expect us to wash?”
Another resident, Nosiphiwo Lali, said they were tired of not being heard.
“A month after settling here, we approached the ward councillor asking for basic services. He still hasn’t got back to us, so we are going to his superiors.”
But some residents did not participate in the protest.
They said there was a court case pending about the illegal invasion and marching was against court rules.
Gcinikhaya Ngqangqu said: “We are dealing with a court case against the owners of the land and the City of Cape Town is the second respondent in that court case.
“We were supposed to wait for the outcome before protesting.”
Cape Argus