Riot-damaged Stutterheim is being ignored by holidaymakers, who put their heads down and drive through its rubbish-strewn streets.
This loss of trade, coupled with a serious vacuum in local governance, is costing the town big money and putting business and jobs at risk.
The town is under heavy and constant guard by public order police. Other Eastern Cape towns are also under pressure with water shortages and sewage issues, even though tourism operators say they are booked up and that the Christmas holiday is in full swing.
Stutterheim is the last major stop for holidaymakers driving from Johannesburg to the coastal beach resort towns like Haga Haga and Morgan Bay.
The town’s Amahlathi municipal offices have stayed shut since October 16 after protesting mobs burned government buildings and equipment and a R49m partly government-owned mall.
There have been little or no government services, including rubbish removal since the protests.
The ANC, which fired mayor Phateka Qaba soon after the protests, set up a task team in a bid to get the town back on its feet.
The Dispatch could not reach ANC leaders on their phones at the time of writing on Friday.
Most ANC provincial leaders were at the funeral of Umzimvubu mayor Bulelwa Mabhengu at KwaBhaca (Mount Frere).
Amahlathi municipality falls under Amathole District Municipality. Acting ADM spokesperson Noni Vuso confirmed that the upheaval had forced Amahlathi municipality into shut-down mode.
The Dispatch visited the town situated on the N6 between East London and Komani on Wednesday and was greeted by piles of rubbish, much of it strewn across streets.
Disposable baby nappies and used condoms could be seen on pavements. Business owners said the state of the town was chasing away customers.
Pick n Pay store owner Lyle Mandell, 49, said he was forced to hire a driver to pick and dump rubbish from around the store.
“I have a guy who does 20 trips a day dumping the rubbish at the tip. I have seen holidaymakers who normally stop here and refill, drink coffee or eat, just take a look at the mess and continue driving. We are losing money.”
Since the beginning of the strike, Mandell said he had to close the shop for four days.
The store has a staff complement of 100 who each support up to 10 relatives.
“Closing would be a catastrophe. The store has been operating for 22 years serving at the latest count a population of 47,000.
“We have major problems here with water as well.. The water is back [on] now but I can never say it is safe to drink. A few of my staff members' kids got sick recently saying they believe it is due to the water.”
While the municipal offices are closed, residents don't know what they owe or where to pay, he said.
Two recycling factories at the municipal tip came under attack by mobs and machinery was torched.
The Anca Food’s chicken factory, , which is the town's largest employer, has bought a R289,000 water pump to keep water flowing.
Mandell said Anca used 390,000 litres of water per day.
“We handle our own services the best we can.
“We contributed the pump because our investment in this town is too huge. We have a processing plant.
“We have to make this work, we can't afford to relocate,” Anca owner Tony Isemonger said.
Isemonger said Anca Food's monthly turnover was R35m.
Businessman and former DA leader, Warren Donaldson, said he feared an outbreak of water-borne diseases.
He showed the Dispatch raw sewage spillages behind his home.
“This is the start of a river, the sewage goes into Kubusie river down to Wriggleswade Dam and enters the Nahoon river.”
Donaldson said every morning he spent an hour picking up rubbish from the pavement in front of his store. “The youth that started this must own up and show patriotism and social responsibility and clean up this mess,” he said.
The Eastern Cape public order police maintained a strong presence in the town on Wednesday. The Dispatch saw two Inyala armoured vehicles near the magistrate's court. A police minibus taxi was spotted driving slowly up Hill Street filled with officers.
Police spokesperson Captain Siphokazi Mawisa said the police would remain in Stutterheim to maintain law and order...