UPDATE: Riverlea residents give the municipality an ultimatum

The Langlaagte police have organised a meeting between the residents of Riverlea and two officials from the mayor’s office, Westside Eldos reports.

Kevin Semelani, from Service Delivery Intervention Unit, and Tumo Lenong, the project manager of the upcoming flats in extension 3, arrived at the Empowerment Centre at 11am to address residents who staged the protest this morning in Main Reef Road.

The two main issues that were addressed were the upcoming flats and the service delivery.

Bricks of the flats have been broken and thrown throughout the streets of Riverlea.

Lenong said the issues related to the flats must still be discussed again with the department and TopRoot, the construction company. According to Lenong, the company is privately owned but will be funded by the government if procedures are successful.

A resident said the company must not bring their building materials because they have not been approved by the community.

Other issues that were discussed at the meeting were that of police intervention and the matter of illegal mining in the community.

READ MORE: Riverlea protesters to meet reps from a property company

“The police were so quick to come this morning to the protest, but when we call for crime, they don’t come on time,” said a resident.

Another said “they hear gunshots at least thrice a day because of the illegal miners”.

Residents stated they were not happy with councillor Basil Douglas, who, apparently, is never at any of the community meetings and only addresses certain members of the community.

“We want him out,” said an angry resident.

A resident speaking to the people during a meeting.

The department has to consider the issue of safety, municipal and police units in their discussions.

Semelani said the department and their counterparts would discuss the residents’ grievances and would come up with ways to fix these issues steadily.

The community agreed to give the department seven days to talk to the committee, and if they still have not come to an agreement, they will give another seven days until the community agrees to take action again.

– Caxton News Service

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