Dozens of people braved heavy winds and foul weather to gather near Rhodes University on Tuesday morning to march to Makhanda City hall in support of a call to dissolve the Makana Municipal council.
Businesses are closing their doors and angry residents -- who have over the past two weeks faced electricity and prolonged water outages in a soaring heat wave, and a massive fire on the municipal rubbish dump which has left the city bowl black with toxic smoke – want change. There are some fears that the march will clash with a last minute “hands off our municipality” march organised by the ANC.
There are a number of points where the two marches may meet. Residents say they are tired of an inept council presiding over a hopeless and broke administration that has caused a complete collapse in public services.
Years of electricity and water outages, potholed roads, sewage flowing down suburban streets, uncollected rubbish everywhere, and stray cattle, donkeys and other animals in the roads has taken its toll on the small city.
Overt the past two weeks Makhanda East has had prolonged water outages due to a burst pipe and an electricity fault that stopped one of the major pumping stations on the outskirts of the city from functioning.
City residents also fear a threatened lengthy daily blackout from Eskom over December.
Eskom is owed tens of millions of rands by Makana Municipality.
The marchers will hand over a petition calling for the dissolution of council to Cogta MEC Fikile Xasa at the City Hall on Tuesday afternoon.
One of the march organisers, Daphne Timm on Tuesday confirmed 20,722 people had signed the petition to date.-Additonal Reporting by Grocotts Mail..