Siyavuya Mzantsi
THE mayor of Theewaterskloof, Chris Punt, was escorted to his car which angry residents of Pineview near Grabouw pelted with stones after he had refused to address them following their march to his office yesterday.
Residents arrived at his office to hand him a memorandum of demands over poor services in Pineview.
Before the memorandum was handed over, ANC regional secretary Themba Tebela addressed the residents and said their living conditions showed they were being treated like animals.
“It’s time to fight for your rights. This place is in tatters because your issues have not been addressed,” he said.
Punt, who was present when Tebela spoke, accepted the residents’ memorandum which included demands for better sanitation and houses.
The crowd demanded that he address them, but Punt, guarded by police officers, walked to his car and drove away. This angered the residents who began hurling missiles at his car. Before he left he told the Cape Times the municipality had started various projects, including the building of a road, where jobs were created.
“There is only one thing that causes this, it is political.
“The elections are around the corner and people are trying to use this to score political points.
“What is very strange to me is that last week we and the ANC councillors were in a workshop and they approved our plan of action.”
The crowd, armed with sticks and other weapons, then went to the N2 and blockaded the freeway with stones and burning tyres.
Traffic was disrupted several times yesterday while
shops in the area were forced to shut their doors after the residents threatened to loot them.
Police spokesman Tembinkosi Kinana said no one had been arrested.
He said oil was spilled on the road and set alight by protesters. Police intervened and would continue to monitor the situation, he said, adding no arrests had been made.
Pineview resident Makeleni Malujwane said the residents were forced to take to the streets after the municipality failed to meet their needs.
“We live in shacks that flood when it rains. We have given the municipality a reasonable time to respond to our demands, but it has not.
“He (the mayor) only serves those who have. We as the poor are getting nothing, as if we don’t exist,” he said.
“The only way he can address us is for us to protest.
“We are not fighting with them, all we want is for him to come to us and engage with us. But if he fails to do that we will protest until he addresses us,” he said.
Another resident Zukisani Maxabiso said they would protest for the rest of the week.
“ Enough is enough.
“How long must we wait?
“We don’t get any services from the municipality.
“RDP houses are leaking because of the poor quality.
“We demand answers from the mayor,” Maxabiso said.