Komga residents shut down businesses and schools and halted all activity in the town yesterday after blocking the R63, demanding that the mayor leave his office.
Tension mounted on Monday when the protests first started and saw residents block off the road with burning tyres in a bid to have their demands met.
The frustrated community members have petitioned for a vote of no confidence in their newly-elected mayor, Loyiso Tshetsha, whom they claim has misappropriated funds and crashed a municipal vehicle to the value of more than R500000 in December last year, as well as being responsible for restricting development.
Speaking to the Daily Dispatch yesterday, one of the Great Kei United Forum’s leaders, Weaver Sinqana, said a decision was taken on Sunday to shut down the town to send a message. “We are fed up with empty promises. We have shut down the town because the mayor thinks very little of the people of Komga to act so irresponsibly with state funds.”
Sinqana added that things would not return to normal until their demands had been met.
“After submitting our public petition, we received very vague feedback from the mayor and his office which we took to the greater community who did not accept it.
“They refused to address any of our demands and simply disregarded our efforts.
“We had to resort to this to send a strong message that we are not playing around here. We want him out because it is clear that he does not care about the people in this place,” Sinqana said.
A group of around 400 people gathered in front of the magistrate’s court yesterday and staged a picket demanding that the eight protesters arrested during the protest on Monday be released without bail.
Komga resident Audrey Davids said the situation quickly became tense when police tried to disperse the crowd using rubber bullets.
“People were being shot with rubber bullets on Monday and it looked like something from a movie.”
Davids added that one of the biggest frustrations they faced was that it seemed like the mayor and councillors were not interested in the needs of the community.
“These people are not here to uplift our community or have the interest of the people at heart – the bottom line is that they are here for the benefit of their pockets.
“Why can’t our town be uplifted like the other small towns in the area?”
Among the demands seen by the Dispatch in the public petition is one to address a housing blunder where 800 units were earmarked to be built in Zone 10 in 2010 but which has not yet started.
The lack of working street lights is also an issue for residents, as is the incomplete Ward 7 Cintsa East sports fields.
Another resident, Sibongile Mpayipeli said the incomplete field was a place the youth could go to avoid being dragged into bad company. “This is a small town and people drink on weekends.
“That field was a place we looked forward to going to on a Sunday to play rugby.
“Now we have given up on that sporting activity,” Mpayipeli said.
Checha was not present during the protests and was said to be out of town. At the time of writing he was unavailable for comment.
Great Kei municipal manager Ivy Sikhulu-Nqwena was also unavailable for comment. When one of her colleagues called her to meet with the Dispatch she said she was “too busy”. When the Dispatch tried calling Nqwena for comment, her phone went to voicemail. — oreillya@timesmedia.co.za
Komga residents shut town
Tension mounted on Monday when the protests first started and saw residents block off the road with burning tyres in a bid to have their demands met.
The frustrated community members have petitioned for a vote of no confidence in their newly-elected mayor, Loyiso Tshetsha, whom they claim has misappropriated funds and crashed a municipal vehicle to the value of more than R500000 in December last year, as well as being responsible for restricting development.
Speaking to the Daily Dispatch yesterday, one of the Great Kei United Forum’s leaders, Weaver Sinqana, said a decision was taken on Sunday to shut down the town to send a message. “We are fed up with empty promises. We have shut down the town because the mayor thinks very little of the people of Komga to act so irresponsibly with state funds.”
Sinqana added that things would not return to normal until their demands had been met.
“After submitting our public petition, we received very vague feedback from the mayor and his office which we took to the greater community who did not accept it.
“They refused to address any of our demands and simply disregarded our efforts.
“We had to resort to this to send a strong message that we are not playing around here. We want him out because it is clear that he does not care about the people in this place,” Sinqana said.
A group of around 400 people gathered in front of the magistrate’s court yesterday and staged a picket demanding that the eight protesters arrested during the protest on Monday be released without bail.
Komga resident Audrey Davids said the situation quickly became tense when police tried to disperse the crowd using rubber bullets.
“People were being shot with rubber bullets on Monday and it looked like something from a movie.”
Davids added that one of the biggest frustrations they faced was that it seemed like the mayor and councillors were not interested in the needs of the community.
“These people are not here to uplift our community or have the interest of the people at heart – the bottom line is that they are here for the benefit of their pockets.
“Why can’t our town be uplifted like the other small towns in the area?”
Among the demands seen by the Dispatch in the public petition is one to address a housing blunder where 800 units were earmarked to be built in Zone 10 in 2010 but which has not yet started.
The lack of working street lights is also an issue for residents, as is the incomplete Ward 7 Cintsa East sports fields.
Another resident, Sibongile Mpayipeli said the incomplete field was a place the youth could go to avoid being dragged into bad company. “This is a small town and people drink on weekends.
“That field was a place we looked forward to going to on a Sunday to play rugby.
“Now we have given up on that sporting activity,” Mpayipeli said.
Checha was not present during the protests and was said to be out of town. At the time of writing he was unavailable for comment.
Great Kei municipal manager Ivy Sikhulu-Nqwena was also unavailable for comment. When one of her colleagues called her to meet with the Dispatch she said she was “too busy”. When the Dispatch tried calling Nqwena for comment, her phone went to voicemail. — oreillya@timesmedia.co.za
Would you like to comment on this article?
Register (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Trending Now
Latest Videos