noloyiso@witness.co.za
Publish Date: 6 October 2005

Witness: Mock funerals no joke, councillors at stake

Newly appointed eThekwini Municipality speaker James Nxumalo has called
on protesters not to hold mock funerals of councillors, in the light of
several recent murders of councillors.

Nxumalo was referring to a mock funeral for councillor Jayraj Bachu
during a protest by residents of Clare Estate yesterday. The protesters
said Bachu is dead and useless to them and carried a coffin with a teddy
bear inside, saying they were burying the councillor. Some even said
Bachu would not make a good ancestor as he is not compassionate about
people’s needs.

Nxumalo said the deaths of councillors are a serious matter, nothing to
joke about. He said this month alone two councillors have been killed.

“Yes, people have a right to protest, and they may have justifiable
reasons to do so, but the lives of councillors are really at stake
here,” he said, adding that some councillors have received serious
threats on their lives.

Addressing delegates at the Democracy Development Programme’s Second
Decade of Local Democracy conference, Nxumalo said the metro council is
aware of areas still in need of development. He said many peri-urban
areas in the municipality still serve as “labour dormitories” and not
hubs of economic activity.

A case study on Ugu district municipality revealed that municipalities
in general lack capacity to speedily deliver basic services, and
municipalities with urban and rural areas are facing challenges because
of uneven geographic and economic landscaping of the areas they operate
in.

Some rural areas have households that live below the poverty line and
are entitled to free water and electricity supply, while some
households, although they can afford to pay for the services, abuse the
free services, resulting in huge municipal debts.

Ugu district is made up of six local municipalities and a population of
more than 700 000. With a budget of R447 million the municipality
stretches from Scottburgh to Port Edward and faces challenges of
escalating debt; credit control and a need for a working indigent
policy. The conference continues today.