Cape Town - A meeting between backyarders from Bonteheuwel and Cape Town Mayor Patricia de Lille ended in chaos on Thursday night after a protest group allegedly broke up the meeting amid booing and accusations that the mayor was lying.
De Lille said in a statement on Thursday night that the trouble started as she tried to give residents an overview of the Backyarder Programme that is being implemented in the area and rolled out across Cape Town for those who are living in the backyards of council rental units.
She said the Joint Peace Forum (JPF), which she described as a group of five or six people, “violently” broke up the meeting where more than 500 beneficiaries of the Backyarder Programme had come to listen to her.
However, the JPF alleged that residents had become upset and then responded when the mayor said: “We are the government, we will do as we please and do not have to ask anyone’s permission to do so.”
She is alleged then to have followed this up by saying audibly to protesters “voetsek, julle is mos ANC (get lost, you are ANC)”.
De Lille said the JPF did not represent any serious segment of the backyarder community.
“The JPF represent nothing more than their jackets. They were never elected nor mandated to speak on behalf of the backyarders or the Bonteheuwel community at large. This was evident when the beneficiaries arrived at the public meeting with placards protesting against the JPF.
“We will not allow these people to deprive almost 1 000 families of the basic services that we promised them in 2011,” she said.
But the forum hit back, saying: “The community meeting held in Bonteheuwel last night, originally called by the JPF, and then claimed by the city (council), erupted into chaos when the mayor made… lying statements about service delivery in Bonteheuwel. The residents she claims to be helping called her a liar and booed.”
But resident David Pillay said on Friday morning that only “a handful” of people disrupted the meeting on Thursday night. He added that many in the crowd ended up booing the protesters because they were disturbing proceedings.
The forum said their members “stood calmly” during the ruckus. “We refuse to be treated as third-class citizens and disrespected because of political wrangling and party politicking. Bonteheuwel is disgusted at the mayor’s comments; residents are calling for strong action against the mayor and councillors.”
De Lille also alleged in her statement that JPF leader Geraldine Kennedy, who is project manager for Cosatu and who works with ANC opposition leader in the region, Tony Ehrenreich, was living in comfort with services provided by the council, “yet along with a handful of followers, is determined to deprive people living in backyards from the same services”.
JPF chairwoman Judy Kennedy countered on Friday morning:
“We’ve never said we don’t want backyarders to be serviced, we simply want public participation. And we ask ourselves if the city provides these services, will they provide houses for them (to go with services)?”
She said people from the area were fed up with the mayor. “People are angry and we are going to call a meeting to decide what next step to take.”
The backyarder project, which provides services to council-owned property, was first implemented in Parkwood in March.
The project is being implemented in Bonteheuwel where about 700 families are set to benefit.
Cape Argus