Our leaders do not listen to the people 2008-07-24
ON 10 April, I had a meeting with our mayor and her committee. In that meeting we discussed the utilisation of kitchens by the youth of B and C block residents.
We emphasised that the youth need those facilities for their activities so as to keep them busy and away from crime, drugs and alcohol.
The Mayor promised that she will consider this and come back to us with a reasonable answer. She never did!
I wrote a letter to the Mayor and the speaker as a follow up to our meeting. They both never responded!
I went to see the municipal manager and we discussed the same issue. The manager promised that he would take the matter up with the council and come back to me. He never came back!
This is amazing, because both the mayor and the manager know that our society has a culture of violence. Should the youth and the residents of those settlements force their way into those facilities; then they’ll be at fault?
They will be cited as taking the law into their own hands; but the fact of the matter is that our leaders are deaf or they don’t want to listen to the people. Recently there was an incident at the White City settlement whereby the residents were evicted by members of the public, without a court order.
The poor people of White City are now moving in and out of courts because the municipal administration failed to timeously execute a decision that was taken by the Council that they should move to new housing.
I believe if the municipality had implemented the decision of the Council in time then the whole mess would never have happened.
My question is who is to be blamed in this scenario? I think it is now high time that our local authorities should stop making decisions for the people, but make decisions with the people.
I am appealing to our honourable mayor, manager and councillors to please listen when the people speak.
Never undermine the power of the people.B Mnweba (Sanco Mbekweni)Dr Sidima Kabanyane, Municipal Manager, responds: It is true that Mr Mnweba and his SANCO had a discussion with the Executive Mayor as well as with myself relating to the use of kitchens by other members of the community. What I want to dispute however is the allegation that the Executive Mayor had never responded to them. On the contrary, the Mayor continues to discuss the matter with Mr Mnweba. However, this matter needs broader consultation that goes beyond SANCO, since these halls had in the past been used by the churches without any objection from the communities. That consultation is going on and the announcement on the fate of the kitchens will be made very soon, I am informed.
