13 February 2015 R1-20/FREE
Community members have had
enough
Fruit and cardboard boxes were thrown around during the protest. Photo: TK Mashaba
Lizzy Bapela Angry community members from the Bela-Bela township took to the streets on Tuesday, 10 February, voicing their concerns to their local councilors. A group of concerned community members called a community meeting to discuss the situation as it pertains to service delivery and youth employment issues. In particular, the protestors objected to the employment of older people over the youth, who they say have been unemployed for years. The protestors blocked roads leading to the homes of councilors Jeremiah Ngobeni and Spando Maluleka, saying that they intended to burn their homes down. They chanted struggle songs and said that they were angry and fed up with the municipality.
The protestors burned tires and filled roads with waste and broken trees to stop traffic. Police flocked to the scene to control the situation and protestors fled in groups, leaving the police to monitor the situation. Police spokesperson Constable Glen Manamela told The BEAT that so far, no arrests have been made, and the police are still monitoring the situation and calculating the damages. She added that at the time, there are no answers as to who exactly started the protest. According to information received by The BEAT, a group of residents from various political parties gathered to discuss staging a protest in the interest of the community and regardless of political affiliation. Councillor Ngobeni said that he had not had any contact with the protestors. He
was not at home during the protests, and he said that by the time he arrived at his home they were already dispersing. Ngobeni said that regarding the issue of youth employment, he saw fit to employ ward committee members from his ward because they have been helpful in the past with voluntarily, unpaid community work. He added that those he employed were family heads, and their employment served to lessen the burden of poverty on their families. He said that he had never expected such an emotional response from the community, especially since these were fairly low-level positions. A different situation pertained at Councilor Maluleka’s house, where she was rumoured to have had an argument with an EFF party member about personal grudges. Maluleka is rumoured to have not been on speaking terms with
the woman for some time. The woman alleged that the councilor swore at her during the protest. According to her, she was not even part of the protest. The BEAT could not find anyone who was prepared to admit to staging the protest. Councillor Maluleka and the mayor Lucas Nhlapo could not be reached for comment in the matter. Meanwhile, foreign nationals in the township kept a worried eye on their businesses during the night and kept in contact with the police, fearing that the violence may spread to them. These fears were aroused by an incident in Kwa-Zulu/Natal recently. The police were eventually able to reassure them that the violence was unlikely to spread further, and they were able to leave for their homes.