http://www.sowetan.co.za/News/Article.aspx?id=810691

Residents’ anger

29 July 2008
Sne Masuku

Protesters demand service delivery and RDP houses they were promised

Rush hour traffic came to a complete standstill yesterday morning when angry residents of KwaMancinza at Ntuzuma township in Durban blockaded the main roads and prevented buses and taxis from leaving the depot in the area.

They were protesting against poor service delivery and lack of housing in the area. Schooling and work were also disrupted as pupils and workers joined the march.

The more than 2000 residents from sections B and C gathered as early as 4am.

They marched through the streets before heading to KwaMashu’s indoor sports centre to deliver a memorandum to municipal official Desmond Myeza.

They also called for the resignation of their ward councillor, Skhumbuzo Ndaba, saying he had done nothing to develop the area since he was appointed in 2000.

Residents said they were tired of waiting, claiming the municipality had promised them RDP houses since 1998 – and 10 years later, nothing has been delivered.

“We are living in an urban area, but we do not have water or proper sanitation. We still use pit toilets, and we are living in mud and zinc structures,” said a resident.

They say running tap water is limited in the area and are demanding better homes with proper taps equipped with bathrooms and toilets.

The protesters carried knobkerries and sticks. They burnt tyres and called on bystanders waiting for public transport to join the march.

The municipality has been given three days to respond to the grievances. Police reinforcements were deployed to the area as early as 4am to monitor the situation.

No one was arrested or reported injured. Protest organiser Lindani Khumalo said Ndaba had been the councillor for 10 years, but he had done nothing for the community of KwaMancinza.

” We have raised our complaints with him several times, but he ignores us. So we decided to make our grievances heard by organising a march,” said Khumalo.

He said they also tried to engage the office of the MEC for housing and local government, Mike Mabuyakhulu, earlier this year. They say he promised to send people to the area, but it has not happened. ” Children as young as five are forced to walk more than 10 kilometres to schools because we don’t have our own primary school in the area,” said Khumalo.

Mabuyakhulu’s spokesman Lennox Mabaso said he would have to check on the plans the municipality had for the area.