Cape Town - Mayor Patricia de Lille was again forced to leave the stage of a public meeting on Tuesday night, this time in Samora Machel.
A week ago, a crowd shouted her off the stage during a similar meeting in Philippi.
De Lille was whisked away in the back of a police Nyala shortly before 8pm on Tuesday after the angry crowd in the Weltevreden Community Hall in Kosovo started stacking chairs while singing Struggle songs.
The Weltevreden Valley residents refused to let anyone speak after the MC announced ward councillor Nico Mzalisi was not present.
Last week, De Lille was to speak to Philippi residents in a school hall, but they started singing and stacked chairs when their councillor too failed to arrive.
The meetings are part of a series organised by the City of Cape Town in a campaign to “know your community, know your contractor”, against a background of intensifying service delivery protests.
De Lille’s spokesman, Solly Malatsi, described the meeting as “round two”, following last week’s chaos.
“The councillor was invited and his name is even on the mayor’s prepared speech – she was going to acknowledge him,” he said.
When residents heard Mzalisi would not be present they began singing. Metro police filed in and stood at the front of the hall, and minutes later De Lille was whisked away.
She said she would continue her meetings, adding: “We will not be deterred by the ANC Youth League in trying to build a more caring city… we have already sent out the message by sending out pamphlets in the communities.”
She said the meetings were not political, but meant for community engagement.
The next one is to be held in the Luyolo Community Hall in Gugulethu on Thursday.
Cape Argus