Ward Councillors are required to perform public duties and engage with the community they are leading and representing within the municipality, but this is very difficult to do within the ANC-run eThekwini municipality.
The Inkatha Freedom Party Ward Councilor for Ward 39 KwaMashu North of Durban, Cllr Sandile Gwala, had to find new ways to conduct ward meetings after the Office of the Speaker has been sabotaging his plans. As a Cllr I have to engage with the residents on matters pertaining to service delivery and projects within my ward. It is absolutely essential that the people are briefed.
In this light, I have called for Community Meetings within my ward a number of occasions and requested the assistance of the Speaker to provide the necessary equipment and infrastructure to conduct such meetings. As from last year within my ward I had community meetings dated as follows, 09 December 2018, 10 February 2019 both held in Ground 3 and the latest meeting was held at the Rotary Stadium on the 9th June 2019. For all these meeting I requested the recourses, Marque, Sound system, Tables and toilets and we were not provided with any of the requested items.
On submitting letters of request, I was advised that the requests were approved. However, at the time of organizing and setting up of the meetings, the help was not imminent. This is incredibly frustrating and the meetings had to take place under conditions which were very unacceptable. It is noted that community meetings in other Wards, predominately ANC, were suitably equipped and catered for.
As the IFP we see this is an absolutely biased action and total sabotage by the municipality on the part of the Speaker as he is standing with his comrades, and not with the communities of eThekwini. All communities across the eThekwini Municipality deserve to be treated with the same civility they deserve. They should be no hand-pick by the ANC.
I will write to the Speaker to furnish me with the exact details as to why ward meetings have not been prioritised from other political parties. The IFP will closely monitor developments in this regard.
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Contact:
Cllr Sandile Gwala
IFP Ward 39 Councillor
082 764 5773
