Protesters march in Durban for electricity‚ sanitation

The Times

05 October 2018
BY LWANDILE BHENGU

The residents of the informal settlement near Cato Manor marched to the Department of Public Works in Mayville, to hand over a memorandum of demands‚ including the provision of electricity and sanitation on October 5 2018 
Image: THULI DLAMINI

Chanting “Down with Zandile Gumede‚ down”‚ hundreds of Abahlali BaseMjondolo members took part in a peaceful march over being neglected by the eThekwini municipality and mayor‚ Gumede. 

“The residents of eNkanini have suffered greatly because of the eThekwini municipality. They have been arrested‚ shot and their houses have been destroyed‚” said Abahlali spokesman Mqapheli Bonono.

The residents of the informal settlement near Cato Manor marched to the Department of Public Works in Mayville to hand over a memorandum of demands‚ including the provision of electricity and sanitation.

Residents said they had been promised this months ago by MEC of Human Settlement and Public Works Ravi Pillay‚ but he had not delivered.

The residents of the informal settlement near Cato Manor marched to the Department of Public Works in Mayville, to hand over a memorandum of demands‚ including the provision of electricity and sanitation on October 5 2018
Image: THULI DLAMINI

The residents had hoped to hand the memorandum to Pillay‚ but he is attending the national job summit in Johannesburg. It was accepted by the department’s project manager‚ Zithulele Mbonane.

Mbonane told the demonstrators: “I am going to receive the memorandum on behalf of the MEC and get the time frame they expect us to respond in and then discuss it with the relevant stakeholders. We have had a lot of engagement with the residents and we have started building. However‚ housing is a moving target and the demand is always increasing.”

Mbonane said that many of the concerns raised by eNkanini’s residents required the municipality’s attention and the department would be held.

Bonono said Friday’s march was a warm-up for another demonstration to the Durban’s city hall on Monday. “This is a warm-up; we are here today not in our full numbers.”