Cape Argus: Shack Dwellers Vow Not to Vote Again

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South Africa: Shack Dwellers Vow Not to Vote Again

Cape Argus (Cape Town)

5 November 2008
Posted to the web 6 November 2008

Nomangesi Mbiza
Cape Town

Traffic on Lansdowne Road in Site C, Khayelitsha was still restricted to one lane on Wednesday morning after chaos erupted at an informal settlement on Tuesday after city law enforcement officials tore down illegal cables connected to a legal electricity supply.

“We are waiting for them to put up their container or tent for registration and we are going to destroy them because we are not going to register and we are not interested in voting either,” said Thozamile Boyi.

The angry residents of Island informal settlement blocked Lansdowne Road with stones and burning rubbish for about seven hours on Tuesday to protest against the removal.

They dispersed at 8pm, but on Wednesday morning another resident, Nothobekile Bhoki, said they would continue with their protest action on Wednesday.

It is the second time in the past two months that law enforcement officials have removed cables providing electricity to the impoverished community from a formal neighbouring community.

On Tuesday, irate residents threw stones on to the road, despite police officers trying to control the situation by firing rubber bullets into the crowd.

Three people were injured by rubber bullets. Nevertheless, residents said they would continue to express their anger until their electricity cables had been returned.

“We are not going to sleep tonight until they bring our cables back,” said an angry resident, Nontsapho Nodede.

Residents said they were going to connect the electricity again because it was their only way of survival.

Nodede, who has been living in Island since 1996, said the residents were now tired of empty promises and vowed not to vote in next year’s elections.

“They are going to come here now and start making even more empty promises, but we are going to ignore them because we are no longer interested in what they have to say.”

Boyi added that they were not going to allow any voter registration to take place at the weekend.

He said that when they voted before, they had expected service delivery, including electricity.

“They want us to become criminals now because we use this electricity they keep stripping away to make a living.

The things we sell in our fridge are going to rot and now we are going to start robbing people.”

Bonginkosi Madikizela, communications officer in the mayor’s office, said: “We can’t condone illegal electricity connections and law enforcement was asked by Phambili Nombane (a company responsible for electricity in Khayelitsha) to help disconnect the illegally wired electricity.”

Madikizela said that it was not as easy “as ABC” to install electricity as there were procedures to be followed.

“We will start upgrading and installing substations. There will be two new substations in Khayelitsha,” he said.

Ward Councillor Mpendulo Solizwe said he had been trying to get the municipality to install electricity in the area or to move the people, but all his efforts had been unsuccessful.

“About two months back, I managed to get the mayor to come and have a look in the area but it also didn’t help,” said Solizwe.

He said the residents were also complaining about the rubbish container, saying it brought rats to their homes.

“I have been telling them to come and remove the container and now people have used the rubbish to cause damage,” he said, referring to the burning mess on Lansdowne Road.