Ngcobo has been brought to a complete standstill as residents, business owners, taxi drivers and ratepayers protest in front of the municipal offices at the town hall demanding that mayor Lizeka Bongo-Tyali and her council step down.
Instead, they want the municipality to be placed under administration.
They claim municipal bosses have failed to deliver crucial services to them including roads, water, RDP houses and toilets.
While protests leaders have been locked in a meeting with municipal bosses and a representative sent by the Eastern Cape provincial government, one of the protesters, Nozicelo Xhotyeni told the Daily Dispatch that they had been waiting for service delivery for many years.
"I was given an Erf number for an RDP house more than 20 years ago but till today there is no house.We don't have water and have to drink dirty water from dongas where pigs swim and cows also drink," she said adding that roads leading to her home in Mkhanzi village was riddled with dongas.
She also claimed rural villagers like her were forced to relieve themselves in bushes as toilets they were given years ago, had collapsed and were no longer usable.
Traffic was backed up for several hours along the R61 road which cuts through Ngcobo as protesters had used huge tree stumps to cordon off the road.
Several articulated 22-wheeler trucks and smaller cars were unable to pass for hours.
The Dispatch was unable to get a comment from municipal leaders as they were still locked in a meeting with the protesters inside municipal buildings.
Ngcobo at standstill in ratepayers protest
Ngcobo has been brought to a complete standstill as residents, business owners, taxi drivers and ratepayers protest in front of the municipal offices at the town hall demanding that mayor Lizeka Bongo-Tyali and her council step down.
Instead, they want the municipality to be placed under administration.
They claim municipal bosses have failed to deliver crucial services to them including roads, water, RDP houses and toilets.
While protests leaders have been locked in a meeting with municipal bosses and a representative sent by the Eastern Cape provincial government, one of the protesters, Nozicelo Xhotyeni told the Daily Dispatch that they had been waiting for service delivery for many years.
"I was given an Erf number for an RDP house more than 20 years ago but till today there is no house.We don't have water and have to drink dirty water from dongas where pigs swim and cows also drink," she said adding that roads leading to her home in Mkhanzi village was riddled with dongas.
She also claimed rural villagers like her were forced to relieve themselves in bushes as toilets they were given years ago, had collapsed and were no longer usable.
Traffic was backed up for several hours along the R61 road which cuts through Ngcobo as protesters had used huge tree stumps to cordon off the road.
Several articulated 22-wheeler trucks and smaller cars were unable to pass for hours.
The Dispatch was unable to get a comment from municipal leaders as they were still locked in a meeting with the protesters inside municipal buildings.
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