The Mayoral IDP Imbizo took a turn for the worse on Tuesday night when angry Ballito residents criticised KDM officials for not taking the meeting seriously.
About 50 residents from ward 6 and 21 gathered at the Ballito municipal offices hoping to air their grievances on municipal services.
Anger erupted when mayor Dolly Govender did not arrive for the start, with residents demanding to know how a ‘mayoral imbizo’ could take place without her.
The meeting disintegrated further midway through the presentation by electrical engineering executive director Sibusiso Jali – already in the firing line for the state of street lights which have been out of order for close to 5 years.
They criticised his presentation for being confusing and too generalised.
The presentation was a joke, they said, and accused KDM of not taking them seriously.
A handful of people walked out.
Attempts by chief whip Dumisane Nzimande to placate the angry crowd did not work.
They demanded the meeting be adjourned and another time scheduled.
The late arrival of Mayor Govender placated the crowd briefly but it did not last long.
Nzimande adjourned the meeting to Wednesday (today) at 5.30pm and promised the meeting that better presentations would be made.
KwaDukuza Residents Forum representative Riaan Verster said the people’s anger was justified given the many service delivery failures by the municipality.
“People in this town are increasingly understanding that they can do without municipal services.
“This is because we are simply not getting them anymore. We may have to fix our own potholes and streetlights, we may even make our own arrangements to secure our homes and maybe the beaches.
“In time the only services we may have to only rely on KDM for is electricity and water, and we may even find legal or other means to sever the reliance on this as well. When that happens the money taps from this town will also be turned off.”
Vester drew loud applause and the meeting was adjourned.
