Despite Mthatha drowning in heaps of rubbish, the stench of human waste lingering in the air and regular electricity blackouts, mayor Dumani Zozo believes he is successfully running King Sabata Dalindyebo municipality.
“Spilling rubbish and human waste in the streets because of job unhappiness is ubuxelegu and ubugqwirha [loosely translated as filthy state of mind and witchcraft],” he told the media on Tuesday.
“I do not even know where they get human waste from because we do not have the bucket system here in KSD.”
Mthatha has been turned into a dumping site by municipal workers for two weeks.
They are demanding permanent employment and in their protest have thrown rubbish on streets in the CBD.
As a result, the municipality has roped in a private company to try restore order.
Heavily armed security guards, accompanied by dogs, were seen at the reception and every floor of the Munitata Building on Tuesday.
Before the strike, Mthatha was already dirty – something Zozo had identified and committed to cleaning in his first 100 days in office, which ended in November 2016. However the former Transkei capital seems to be dirtier and filthier than before...